Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season at UAB
3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Marshall will try to keep its recent momentum alive when it plays its final regular season game at UAB on Saturday. Tip-off for the Conference USA contest is set for 3 p.m. (Eastern Time).
The Thundering Herd (15-15, 7-8 C-USA) is coming off a 76-62 win over Rice and has now won three straight and six of its last eight games. Marshall has managed to gain this momentum down the stretch despite losing its leading scorer and rebounder, Tyler Wilkerson, to a broken jaw on Feb. 4th and not starting anyone over six-foot-six.
During this period, senior Markel Humphrey (who has played all season with a stress fracture in his foot) has picked up the slack, averaging 20.3 points and 7.6 points per game. The senior standout started the season at small forward and is now playing center.
Humphrey keys a "re-built" Marshall team that is using tremendous hustle and heart across the board to make up for its lack of height and depth. Sophomore Tirrell Baines, freshmen guards Damier Pitts and Shaquille Johnson, Junior guard Chris Lutz and junior guard/forward Adam Williams are all playing well down the stretch.
Marshall's final regular season game before heading into the C-USA Tournament in Memphis will be a huge challenge. UAB (20-10 overall and 10-5 C-USA) is a veteran team that owns a 75-73 overtime win over Marshall in Huntington earlier this year.
Mike Davis' squad has won seven of its last nine games and is 12-1 at home this season. It will also be senior night for a talented Blazer senior class that will be playing its final regular season game at Bartow Arena.
The Blazers are led by Robert Vaden, Paul Delaney and Lawrence Kinnard. Vadenis scoring 17.7 points per game, while Delaney adds 15.8. Kinnard reaches double-digits in points with 14.9 and grabs a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game.
