Marshall University Athletics
Herd Men Welcome Tennessee State to Henderson Center on Sunday
12/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2008
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University men's basketball team will attempt to rebound from its first loss in its last five games when it plays host to the Ohio Valley Conference's Tennessee State Tigers on Sunday. Tip-off from the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
Marshall (6-5) and Tennessee State (3-7) will meet for the first time in history when the two clubs collide on Sunday.
The Thundering Herd is coming off a 62-50 setback at Dayton on Tuesday. Marshall was held to season-lows in points (50), field goals (15) and field goal percentage (31.3 percent) against the Flyers. Redshirt junior guard Chris Lutz scored a team-high 14 points and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Lutz also led the team in rebounds (6) and assists (4) at UD and his four treys marked his third straight game with at least two 3-pointers.
Lutz now paces MU in scoring (11.3 ppg) and is joined by four teammates in double-digits, immediately followed by a pair of freshmen in Damier Pitts (10.7 ppg) and Shaquille Johnson (10.5 ppg). Sophomore forward Tirrell Baines is the MU leader in rebounding with 5.7 per game.
Marshall senior Markel Humphrey sustained a foot injury in the second half of MU's loss at Dayton and did not return to the game after leaving at the six-minute mark. His status is uncertain going into Sunday's meeting with Tennessee State.
With a win, Marshall can secure its first five-win December since going 5-1 in December of 2001.
Tennessee State, losers of three straight, will play its sixth straight road game when it visits the Cam Henderson Center on Sunday - with a seventh consecutive road game scheduled for Tuesday at Georgia Tech. The Tigers are scoring 73.7 points per game while allowing their opponents 81.1 points for a -7.4 scoring margin.
TSU sophomore guard Gerald Robinson is averaging team-highs in points (19.3 per game), assists (3.8/game) and steals (2.3/game). The Nashville, Tenn., native went 7-for-16 in the Tigers' last outing, a 102-58 loss at Kentucky, for a team-high 25 points.
Two other Tigers registered double-digits in points versus the Wildcats, including senior forward Jerrell Houston (10 pts) and sophomore center Gershom Jordan (10 pts). Houston is second behind Robinson in scoring (14.0 ppg) and is one of three Tigers to haul in more than six rebounds per contest (6.6 rpg). Sophomore forward Darius Cox (7.1 rpg) paces TSU in rebounding with senior forward Stephen Evans grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game.
Evans also blocks a team-high 1.6 shots per game while freshman guard Parker Smith leads the Tigers in 3-point shooting at 30.4 percent (14-for-46).
TSU allowed Huntington, W.Va., native and UK sophomore Patrick Patterson to score 33 points on 15-of-17 shooting along with 11 rebounds.
After Sunday's tilt, Marshall will play four of its next five games away from the Henderson Center, including its next two contests (Jan. 2 at San Diego and the C-USA opener at Memphis on Jan. 7).
Sunday's game will be video-streamed live on Herd All-Access, via HerdZone.com. The contest can also be heard on the Thundering Herd/ISP Sports Network with Steve Cotton (PxP) and Woody Woodrum (color).
