Marshall University Athletics
Herd Hoops Set For Two-Game Trip
12/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd men's basketball team take to the road for its next two games, facing St. Bonaventure on Sunday before opening up Conference USA play on Wednesday at UCF.
Marshall is coming off of its second consecutive dominating home victory, taking down Binghamton by an 85-60 margin on Tuesday evening. Five Marshall players scored in double figures, led by Damier Pitts. The junior has been busy scoring points since making his season debut against VMI. After a pair of 13-point performances, Pitts put up 18 against Binghamton.
DeAndre Kane had another solid all-around night against the Bearcats, scoring 16 points while tying for the team lead with 8 rebounds. A trio of players for MU finished the contest with 12 points, including Johnny Thomas, Tirrell Baines and Aundra Williams. The total marked a career-best for Williams.
The trip starts on Sunday as MU will face off against St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies enter Sunday's game with a 7-4 mark and a 4-1 record at home. Last time out, SBU held on for an 82-79 win over Siena. They have a pair of common opponents with the Herd, having topped Binghamton, 69-44, on November 21 before taking a 112-107 4-OT thriller over Ohio U on December 18.
St. Bonaventure relies heavily on their five starters. All five average 8.8 PPG or more while their top player off the bench scores an average of 2.0 PPG. Andrew Nicholson is the top scorer and rebounder for the Bonnies, scoring 21.8 PPG while recording an average of 9.7 boards per contest. Against Siena, the junior forward tallied 26 points and seven boards.
On Wednesday, the Herd will shift its focus to UCF. The Knights are a perfect 13-0 on the season and are ranked 19th in the AP Poll and 21st in the Coaches Poll. UCF, who does not play again until Wednesday's contest, most recently topped Princeton to win the UCF Holiday Classic. Included in the Knights resume are wins over Florida, Miami and USF.
Sunday's game at St. Bonaventure is set for a 4 p.m. start while the C-USA opener on Wednesday will begin at 7 p.m. Both games can be heard on the Thundering Herd Network with Steve Cotton and Woody Woodrum calling the action. The UCF game will be televised by WSAZ.
