Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Falls To No. 3 Memphis, 91-81
2/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Rodney Carney and Darius Washington each scored 20 points and No. 3 Memphis used a 17-0 run to put away Marshall 91-81 on Saturday.
Robert Dozier added 13 points and 15 rebounds for Memphis (22-2, 8-0 Conference USA) and Shawne Williams scored 12 points.
Markel Humphrey scored a career-high 19 points for Marshall (9-13, 2-7). Mark Patton's the Thundering Herd's leading scorer, sat out much of the game with foul trouble and finished with 13 points, all in the second half.
Memphis overcame an 11-point deficit to win its 11th straight game and remain unbeaten on the road. The Tigers are one win shy of tying the 1985-86 team for the best start in school history.
Washington scored 13 of Memphis' first 15 points in the second half and the Tigers took their first lead since midway through the first half. Carney's dunk capped the decisive run for a 68-54 lead with 12:47 remaining.
Marshall went more than 5 minutes without a field goal and never recovered.
Memphis shot 58 percent from the field in the second half.
Marshall and Memphis had not met since December 1953. Memphis joined 1961 national champion Cincinnati as the highest-ranked opponent to play in Huntington.
Marshall has struggled in its debut season in Conference USA. A week ago, Marshall scored just 36 points - the lowest in 58 years - in a loss at Tulane.
But the Thundering Herd have challenged ranked opponents this season, beating West Virginia in Charleston and losing in overtime at home to George Washington.
Marshall coach Ron Jirsa had appealed to his players to play with heart against Memphis. They did, shooting 55 percent in the first half.
The first sellout crowd at Marshall since Dec. 12, 1987, saw the Thundering Herd carve through Memphis' full-court press and take a 37-26 lead with 6:27 left in the first half.
After a timeout, Memphis coach John Calipari went up to Chris Douglas-Roberts and said, "If you don't want to play, I'm taking you out."
Douglas-Roberts and his teammates eventually turned things around.
By late in the half, the intensity took its toll on Marshall, whose tired players had their hands on their knees, and the mistakes soon followed.
Six Memphis players scored during a 14-4 run to close the half and the Tigers trailed 44-43.
The 44 points were the second-most scored against Memphis in the first half this season.
