Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Continues Road Trip With Game At UCF
2/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2007
Marshall GameNotes
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UCF GameNotes
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ORLANDO - The Herd plays its second consecutive game on the road when it faces UCF Saturday afternoon at UCF Arena in Orlando. Tip-off is at noon, and the game can be seen live on Comcast Sports Southeast (Channel 68 on Comcast Cable in Huntington).
Saturday's meeting will be the 2nd meeting of the season between the two schools, with UCF winning an earlier meeting 78-71 on January 13 in Huntington. Golden Knight point guard Mike O'Donnell led three UCF scorers in double figures with 20 points on seven-of-nine shooting. For the game, UCF, the conference's best shooting team, shot 51.9% from the floor and 46.7% from three, and also converted at the free throw line with an 83.3% shooting percentage. Meanwhile, MU shot 41.0% for the game, and only 27.3% from three. At the free throw line, Marshall made 15-of-25 at the charity stripe (60%).
UCF is one of five league schools the Herd plays twice in 2006-07.
In its last time out, Marshall (9-14, 4-5 C-USA) dropped a tough 63-60 decision to Tulsa Wednesday night at Reynolds Center. The Herd had several chances late in the game to come away with the win, but had trouble converting. Tulsa used a 20-for-26 performance at the free throw line to come away with the win in a contest that featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes.
Senior forward Travis Aikens (Orlando, Fla.) led the way for the Thundering Herd with 18 points and nine rebounds, and was Marshall's only double digit scorer. Jean Francois Bro Grebe (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) continued to be a presence on the defensive end with four blocks against Tulsa.
The Herd has two Orlando-area natives on the team in Aikens and sophomore Darryl Merthie (Sanford, Fla.). Aikens attended Jones High School in Orlando, and Merthie went to Lake Mary High and is originally from Sanford, Fla. Also, UCF forward Jacob Loucks and MU assistant Josh Postorino are both from Clearwater, Fla., and both attended Clearwater High School.
Marshall and UCF will meet for the third time on Saturday, with MU leading the all-time series, 2-1. Marshall won the only other meeting in Orlando, 73-69, on Jan. 11, 2006. Aikens led four players in double figures with 17 points to lead MU to a win in its first Conference USA game at UCF Arena. He also added nine rebounds in the game.
UCF enters the game with a 17-6 record and a 6-3 mark in Conference USA games. Jermaine Taylor leads three Golden Knights in double figures with 14.0 points per game. Josh Peppers adds 13.4 points per contest, and Mike O'Donnell chips in 10.0 points per game. The Golden Knights most recently defeated East Carolina, 67-49, in its last time out in Greenville, N.C.
Tip-off is at noon EST. For those who cannot watch the game on Comcast Sports Southeast, the game can be heard regionally on the ISP/Thundering Herd Network and on the worldwide web at www.HerdZone.com.
