Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Fairmont State (Exhib.)
Men's Basketball Powers Past Fairmont State, 84-67
11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2007
Fairmont State at Marshall Game Book 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - On the strength of four double-digit scorers, including a game-high 25 points from guard Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Marshall men's basketball team opened exhibition play with an 84-67 victory over Division II foe Fairmont State on Thursday at the Cam Henderson Center.
Dorris netted 13 of his 25 points in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting. The senior finished the contest 8-of-15 from the floor, including a 3-for-7 mark from 3-point range, with six rebounds, five assists and five steals. Junior guard/forward Markel Humphrey (Atlanta, Ga.) scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting (2-for-2 3FG) while forward Tyler Wilkerson (Lexington, Ky.) recorded 14 points with a block.
Marshall true freshman Tirrell Baines (Laurens, S.C.) got the starting nod and responded with a double-double total of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Newcomer Pierre-Marie Altidor Cespedes (Montreal, Quebec) played a game-high 38 minutes as MU's point guard, dishing out four assists with eight points.
"I was so excited to get out there," Dorris said of the first game of the season. "I was more excited for this than Christmas this year. It finally came and I was so pumped up I couldn't sleep last night."
Marshall jumped out to a 9-0 lead three minutes into the game thanks to seven quick points from Humphrey. The Falcons, however, chipped away at the Thundering Herd's advantage over the next five-plus minutes, tying the game at 17-17 at the 11:17 mark. Fairmont State eventually claimed its first lead of the game, 20-17, on a Thad McFadden 3-pointer at 9:53.
Dorris answered with a jumper followed by two free throws by Baines that returned the lead to MU and put the Herd ahead for good. A Wilkerson layup with 39 seconds left in the first stanza gave Marshall a six-point lead, 39-33, at halftime.
The Herd went on a 15-5 run to open the second half to post its first double-digit lead. FSU, however, would not shy away as McFadden and forward Adam Southern ignited a 12-5 Falcon run to climb to within nine points, 59-50, with 12:18 remaining.
It was another run, a 12-3 sequence by Marshall, which allowed the Herd to seize a 71-53 edge with 8:30 left to seal the Herd win.
"I was really proud of the guys effort tonight," Jones said. "They had great focus in practice.
"These guys had an opportunity to get out there and play and you can see their conditioning and how hard they have worked (in practice)."
McFadden scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Southern netted 11 points while Michael Lopez registered 12 points. Guard Ronnie Means tallied a game-high eight assists in 34 minutes of play.
Fairmont State (48.1 percent) out-shot Marshall (44.3 percent), but the Herd scored 17 points off Falcon turnovers and registered a 34-18 edge in points in the paint.
The Herd will play its second and final exhibition game of the preseason on Tuesday when it hosts West Liberty State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
