Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men's Basketball Travels To Savannah State
12/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2010
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Following its longest layoff of the season, the Marshall University men's basketball team will take on Savannah State Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Tiger Arena.
Marshall enters the game riding a three-game win streak following a 67-63 victory over James Madison last week in Huntington. Senior Tirrell Baines led the way for the Herd against the Dukes, scoring 17 points. He has also been a threat on the boards, hauling in 7.4 per game, top on the Herd. His average of 3.4 offensive rebounds per game puts him third in Conference USA.
Nigel Spikes had one of the top outings of his career, hauling in 13 rebounds, a career-high for the sophomore and the highest total for a Marshall player this season. Since the game against Chattanooga, Spikes has averaged 7.2 boards per game.
The Herd has used its defense over its last two games, topping Ohio by a 65-57 margin before taking the 67-63 decision over JMU. It marked just the 12th time since the 1947 season that Marshall has won consecutive games without scoring over 70 points. The last time MU did so in three-straight contests was in the 1947 NAIB Tournament in Kansas City, where the Herd won three games in a row, averaging just 55.7 PPG in the wins.
Savannah State enters Wednesday's contest with a 1-10 mark, having lost their last ten games following a season-opening win over Brewton Parker College. Savannah State has played just three home games while facing eight foes on the road, including trips to Dayton, Cincinnati, Indiana and Georgia Tech.
Senior Jovonni Shuler leads the Tigers with 17.8 PPG. Last time out against Georgia Tech, Shuler scored a game-high 26 ponits, hitting 8-of-15 shots. Preston Blackmon, a sophomore guard, is second on the team with 11.5 PPG. Freshman Jyles Smith is the leading rebounder for SSU, hauling in 6.5 per game. He recorded eight against the Yellowjackets.
Marshall will return home on Sunday to face VMI at 4 p.m. before making a trip to James Madison on December 22 for its final game before Christmas. The Herd will return from a short break on December 28, playing host to Binghamton at 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
