Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Va Tech
Thundering Herd Men's Basketball Wins Opener, 92-69
11/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall senior Tirrell Baines scored 21 points to lead the Thundering Herd men's basketball team to a season-opening 92-69 win over West Virginia Tech on Friday evening in the Cam Henderson Center.
Baines led a group of five Marshall (1-0) players who scored in double figures. He was an efficient 9-of-13 from the field and hit all three free throw attempts.
"I would like to give West Virginia Tech tons of credit. They did a great job and their kids played very hard," head coach Tom Herrion said. "I knew going in it would be a challenging game. They put us in the grinder and had or bigs chasing their guards because they play five guards at one time."
West Virginia Tech (2-1) jumped out an early 13-9 lead five minutes into the contest. Marshall hit just three of its first nine shots before a pair of Aundra Williams free throws sent the Herd on an 11-2 spurt giving MU a 20-15 advantage. Johnny Thomas, the junior transfer from North Carolina State, scored five of his 12 points in the run.
Marshall's lead would reach as many as 17 points in the first half, 41-24, with 2:42 remaining, before the Golden Bears finished the half on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to eight at the break.
Tech hung around early in the second period, cutting the deficit to four with 18 minutes left in the game on a Roi Buchbinder dunk. Baines knocked down a jumper on the ensuing trip down the floor, marking the start of a 7-0 Herd run, which pushed the lead back into double figures, 52-41.
The Herd pulled away in the final minutes, leading by as many as 26 before settling for the 92-69 victory.
It marked a tale of two halves for the Herd, who shot 16 three-pointers in the first half while committing eight turnovers. The team settled down in the second, shooting just seven treys while turning the ball over just three times. MU had an efficient shooting effort in the latter period, hitting 13-of-27 two-point shots.
WVU Tech finished with a slight .424-.423 shooting advantage while the Herd held a solid 50-37 edge on the glass.
Dago Pena notched 17 points for the Herd. He connected on a game-high three treys. Thomas scored 12 while DeAndre Kane recorded 11 and Shaquille Johnson tallied ten.
Newcomer Johnny Higgins put forth a solid night at the point, scoring eight while dishing out a game-high seven assists.
Donald Robinson of WVU Tech led all players with 23 points. He sank 8-of-16 shots and led all Golden Bears with six assists.
The Herd has two days off before returning to action on Monday evening as it will play host to Glenville State. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
