Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
East Carolina
Marshall Cruises Past East Carolina, 100-49
2/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University men's basketball team exploded for 67 points in the second half and received 15-or-more points from four players to defeat East Carolina, 100-49, in Conference USA action Feb. 6 in the Cam Henderson Center.
Tirrell Baines scored a season-high 18 points (14 in the second half) on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor to help MU (16-7, 5-4 C-USA) snap a five-game losing streak. Tyler Wilkerson connected on eight baskets en route to a 17-point effort along with grabbing five rebounds.
Hassan Whiteside, who was held to one point in the first half, tallied a total of 15 along with six boards and four blocked shots. Chris Lutz poured in 13-of-15 points in the last stanza, including four 3-pointers after intermission.
Trailing 8-7 in the early minutes of the game, the Thundering Herd mounted an 11-0 run, capped off by a dunk from Wilkerson and layup from Shaquille Johnson to hold an 18-8 cushion at the 7:54 mark. The suffocating defense of Marshall held the ECU shooters to just 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from the field in the opening half. The Pirates did not make a basket for nearly 14 minutes, until Erin Straughn drained a 3-pointer as time expired in the first stanza.
Lutz opened the second half by sinking a pair of 3-pointers around a bucket from Wilkerson to force the Pirates into a timeout with 18:26 left. Following the stoppage of play, Whiteside went on an offensive tear, scoring nine-straight points to help expand the Herd, 50-30.
After a pair of ECU made free throws by Young, MU went on a 22-4 explosion to help balloon the advantage to 73-36 at the 8:46 mark. The Herd would later use a 14-0 spurt, including a 3-pointer from the corner from Noah Fisher to put the game out of reach at 93-42 with 2:31 left in the contest.
MU made 26-of-40 (65.0 percent) shots in the second half, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Pirates (7-16, 1-8 C-USA) were paced by Brock Young and Darius Morrow who each scored 11 points apiece in the loss.
"It's a new season and we are 1-0 and I am proud of our team tonight," Marshall head coach Donnie Jones said. "I am proud of the way our team came back in the second half, with 67 points and we played the way we want to play with 26 assists and only seven turnovers. I am excited for Tirrell Baines, we missed his energy when he was out. The good news is he is back and getting stronger each game."
The Herd step out of conference for the final time this season Tuesday night when Marshall hosts NAIA foe Rio Grande. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
NOTES Marshall scored at least 100 points for the fourth time this season and the 143rd in the program's history...Marshall's 67 points in the second half is the fourth most in a half since the program begin in 1906...The Herd's 51-point margin of victory was the 10th largest in school history...MU's 26 assists are the 15th most in a game in school history.
