Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Middle Tennessee State #
Marshall Defeats Middle Tennessee State, 63-60
11/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.-In a game which featured 14 lead changes and three ties, Damier Pitts (So., Charlotte, N.C.) went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 4:34 of the game to lead Marshall (2-0) past Middle Tennessee State (1-2) 63-60 in men's basketball action Nov. 17 in the Cam Henderson Center. Trailing 30-29 at halftime, the Blue Raiders opened the second half on a 11-3 run to take a 40-33 lead with just over 16 minutes to play. The Thundering Herd responded, tying the game 42-42 when Tyler Wilkerson (Sr., Lexington, Ky.) connected on a jumper a little over three minutes later.
Middle Tennessee bounced back, taking a 54-51 advantage on a Calvin O'Neil field goal at the 5:34 mark. Pitts sank a pair of free throws at 4:34 to make it 54-53. Tirrell Baines (Jr., Laurens, S.C.) made a steal on the next Blue Raiders' possession. Baines put back a Darryl Merthie (Sr., Sanford, Fla.) three-point field goal attempt with a dunk to give the Herd a 55-54 lead with 3:57 remaining. A second consecutive Middle Tennessee State turnover led to a Baines' dunk and a three-point MU lead. Marshall got a stop on the defensive lead which led to a Baines' layup with 2:05 left.
James Washington connected on a jumper 10 seconds later to make it a one possession game. The teams exchanged turnovers before Pitts was fouled by J.T. Sulton with 35 ticks remaining. He made the pair of free throws for a 61-56 Herd lead. A Trevor Ottley field goal with 25 seconds to go got Middle Tennessee back to a one-possession deficit at 61-58. Pitts took the inbounds pass and was fouled. His two free throws created a 63-58 Marshall lead. A Blue Raiders' turnover led to a pair of Wilkerson free throw attempts. The 6-8 forward missed both giving the Blue Raiders the ball. Pitts fouled Washington with nine seconds remaining. Washington sank both for what proved to be the final score of the game. Pitts slipped on the floor, turning the ball over with seven seconds remaining. Rod Emanuel took a three-pointer at the five-second mark. He missed, Calvin O'Neil got the rebound, but his three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short, securing the victory for the Thundering Herd.
Baines led Marshall with 12 points. Baines added five rebounds and two steals. Wilkerson and Shaquille Johnson (So., Jacksonville, Fla.) each scored 11 points while Hassan Whiteside (Fr., Gastonia, N.C.) scored eight points and pulled down a game high 10 rebounds. Pitts, who suffered from a concussion suffered in practice earlier this month, was only cleared by the Marshall medical staff the day prior to the Middle Tennessee game. The 5-10 point guard scored eight points and added three assists. Marshall held a 29-15 advantage in free throw attempts, but only made 16 attempts from the charity stripe compared to 12 for the Blue Raiders.
"Middle Tennessee is a good basketball team," said Marshall head coach Donnie Jones. "We knew we were in for a grind. I wrote one word on the board in the locker room before the game and it was `grind. Respect that in this game because we are going to have to play physical and make free throws.' Which we didn't, but we made enough to win the game. I think it was a good test for our basketball team. You are not always going to be able to play pretty, and we came in and played a very physical group, but we found a way."
"It was our veterans down the stretch that made the plays," Jones continued. " I would have loved to play our bench more, but it was a game that needed experience down the stretch. When we were down, I needed to stick with veterans who know what they were doing and had been there before. Obviously we had Hassan Whiteside come off the bench for 23 minutes. He had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, so he is doing some good things for us. Obviously we are going to need our bench to do more as we going into Old Dominion this weekend. We are going to have to shoot the ball better, from the free throw line, and from the three point line. If our shots go down it changes everything. And we are due, we are due. I am proud of our basketball team and the most important thing is that we keep finding a way to win."
The Thundering Herd returns to the hardwood Nov. 21 when Marshall travels to Old Dominion for a 7 p.m. matchup.
