Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Lipscomb
Herd Men Suffer First Home Loss of Season to Lipscomb
12/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2007
Lipscomb at Marshall Game Book 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Lipscomb forward Eddie Ard's game-high 21 points contributed to Marshall's first home loss of the season as the Bisons handed the Thundering Herd a 72-62 defeat in men's basketball action at the Cam Henderson Center on Saturday.
Ard, a senior, went 8-for-15 from the floor and added five steals and three rebounds in 36 minutes. His 14 first-half points included the final five of the opening stanza to give Lipscomb (6-8) a two-point edge, 38-36, at halftime.
Marshall shot 43.3 percent in the first half as Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio) made every attempt in the opening 20 minutes, going 3-for-3 from the floor (2-for-2 3-pt FG) and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The senior scored 12 first-half points in 13 minutes.
The Bisons never trailed after intermission and opened up a nine-point lead just over four minutes in. As it was Ard's scoring prowess that carried Lipscomb in the first half, LaKory Daniels did the same in the second half. Daniels netted 12 of his 15 points after halftime, including a 3-for-4 mark from 3-point range.
Daniels' trey at 1:52 with the shot clock running out, after Marshall had closed to within three, put Lipscomb up 67-61 and closed out the Herd (6-4). Daniels added four assists while freshman reserve Adnan Hodzic registered a career-high 12 points with five boards.
Marshall's press wasn't as effective against Lipscomb as it was in previous games, leading to several quick scores for the Bisons.
Marshall went cold from the floor in the second half, sinking only 26.9 percent of its shots and 35.7 percent for the game. The Herd grabbed 12 offensive rebounds but scored only nine second-chance points.
"We didn't really come out with the same kind of intensity, especially on the defensive end, as I know we can," Dorris said. "We tried to beat them on the offensive end and they made some stops and I think that attributed to the outcome of the game."
Lipscomb, aided by a 5-for-8 night by Daniels and 5-for-10 by Hodzic, shot 50 percent for the game.
A Tirrell Baines (Laurens, S.C.) double-double, the first of the freshman's career, could not overcome Lipscomb on Saturday. Baines' 12-point, 10-rebound effort included a block, a steal and an assist. Junior guard/forward Markel Humphrey (Atlanta, Ga.) scored 13 points with seven rebounds and three assists.
"Give Lipscomb a lot of credit," Marshall head coach Donnie Jones said after his first Henderson Center loss. "They came in and played exactly how you have to play on the road. They came in focused, tough and played physical. They competed and rebounded to do the things they had to do."
Marshall senior Taurean Marshall (Fort Washington, Md.) came off the bench to score eight points with a pair of 3-pointers. The Lipscomb bench, however, out-scored the Herd 22-15.
Marshall will have a short turnaround as its next game is on New Year's Eve, Monday at 2 p.m. ET versus San Diego.
