Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
James Madison
Marshall Pulls Out 67-63 Win Over James Madison
12/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Tirrell Baines led the Thundering Herd men's basketball team with 17 points in a 67-63 win over James Madison on Tuesday evening at the Cam Henderson Center.
Baines hit 7-of-14 shots on his way to 17 tallies. Johnny Thomas notched 13, nine of which came in the second half while Shaquille Johnson and DeAndre Kane each finished with 12. Johnson led all players with six assists while Kane put up a solid 4-5 effort from the charity stripe.
"I think simply we found a way to win. It was a tale of two halves in some regards, especially on the defensive end of the floor," head coach Tom Herrion said. "We gutted it out, it was another character win."
For the second-consecutive game, Marshall (6-2) was slow coming out of the gate, falling in a quick 7-2 hole. The Herd got things rolling, eventually taking its first lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half, 19-18, on a DeAndre Kane lay-up.
The lead would change hands five more times in the opening period before a three by Devon Moore with a minute remaining gave JMU (6-3, 0-1 CAA) a 32-30 lead at the break.
The Dukes opened up the second half on a 9-5 run to take a 41-35 advantage, their largest of the game, with just over 15 minutes left. Julius Wells tallied five in the run, before a pair of free throws by Baines cut the deficit to four.
Marshall continued to cut into the deficit, jumping back ahead, 49-47, on a Shaq Johnson trey with ten minutes remaining. The back-and-forth action continued as the advantage would change hands two more times in the next minute.
Johnny Thomas took the game over on the offensive end at that point. His jumper at the 8:57 mark would give the Herd a lead it would not relinquish. Thomas continued his run, scoring seven of nine Marshall points.
Thomas' lay-up with 1:09 remaining would put MU up 65-59, its largest lead of the contest before the Dukes would make one last comeback attempt. Humpty Hitchens knocked down a shot with 55 ticks remaining and following a steal on the inbounds pass, Moore hit a lay-up to cut the JMU deficit to a pair.
On the ensuing MU possession, Kane could not connect on a three-pointer, but an offensive board by Thomas proved to be the difference. Johnson was fouled and knocked down both free throws to put the game away.
Nigel Spikes recorded his first double-digit rebounding effort, hauling in 13, the most by a Marshall player this season.
Devon Moore of JMU led all players with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He grabbed seven boards while dishing out a team-high five assists. Denzel Bowles recorded 13 points.
The Herd continued its turnaround from the free throw line. MU hit all ten attempts in the first half before finishing the night 18-26. JMU finished with a 40-38 edge on the boards and a slight .406-.393 shooting advantage.
Marshall will take a break for exams before shifting its focus to Savannah State next Wednesday on the road at 7 p.m.
