Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
St. Bonaventure
Whiteside's Seventh Double-Double Leads Marshall Past St. Bonaventure
1/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va.-- Hassan Whiteside overcame early foul trouble to record his seventh double of the season to lead Marshall (11-2) past St. Bonaventure (7-6) 80-61 in Jan. 2 men's basketball action at the Cam Henderson Center. The 7-0 freshman played only four minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls. Whiteside was whistled for his third foul 50 seconds into the second half, but the Gastonia, N.C. native scored 15 of his 17 points and grab 11 of his 12 rebounds in the closing frame. Whiteside was not called for another foul in the contest.
Marshall led 39-30 at halftime, but used a 19-6 run to start the second half to take their largest lead of the game, 23 points (59-36) at the 11:02 mark. The Thundering Herd held the Bonnies to 2-of-19 shooting during the span. St. Bonaventure worked the Herd lead down to 69-59 with 2:53 to go, but Marshall responded with an 8-2 spurt that put the game away. Whiteside, the Conference USA leader in blocked shots, swatted away six Bonnies' attempts. He also made a season high five free throws (5-of-6) and recorded a steal. Whiteside raised his season blocks' total to 65, tying him with Jean Francois Bro Grebe (2006-07) for the second most in a single season by a Herd player. Whiteside is now 11th in Marshall school history for career blocks.
Dago Pena and Shaquille Johnson each scored 11 for the Thundering Herd. Tyler Wilkerson recorded his third double-double in the past four games with 10 points and 12 rebounds. It is Wilkerson's 14th career double-double, the third most among active Conference USA players.
"St. Bonventure kept fighting, that's why at the end you have to execute on the offensive end and defensive end," Johnson said. "If you don't then luck might come into play. They brought the lead back down, but we buckled down and executed at the end. In the conference, when you play against teams like UAB, Houston and Memphis, you know they are going to bring it every night. The scout you and they know what you are going to do, so you have to be ready."
"It is always good to start off the New Year with a win," said Marshall head coach Donnie Jones. "I am really proud of the team. It was another great effort from our bench, along with the starters. We played a very tough St. Bonaventure team from the Atlantic 10. We knew it was going to be a tough battle. We did a better job in the second half from a defensive stand point. I am happy with how we defended. I think the zone was a nice change in the second half. It held them to taking jump shots and it took away their inside game. I am proud of Hassan. I think he played great in the second half with rebounding and obviously scoring. We knew St. Bonaventure wouldn't quit. They are a well coached team. But I am happy with the win. We had a great crowd today. I would like to thank the fans for coming out. I am proud of this basketball team and we open up conference play on Tuesday with a very good Southern Miss team.
Marshall opens Conference USA play Tuesday night when the Thundering Herd hosts Southern Miss at 7 p.m. (EST). The Herd have won 13 in a row at home dating back to Feb. 7, 2009, the sixth longest home winning streak in school history.
