Marshall University Athletics
Conference USA Play Continues Against Southern Miss
1/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2011
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd men's basketball team will continue league play on Saturday, playing host to Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m. in the Cam Henderson Center.
Marshall will try to rebound from a 65-58 loss at UCF on Wednesday. Shaquille Johnson led the way against the Knights with 15 points while hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Free throws have been an area that has seen great improvement over the previous four games. In its last four contests, the Herd has hit 80 out of 100 free throws, improving its season percentage to 66.3.
History may be made as senior Tirrell Baines is on the verge of becomming the 46th 1,000 point scorer in the history of the program. Baines enters Saturday's game with 982 for his career.
Marshall has arguably the toughest start to C-USA play, continuing Saturday against Southern Miss on Saturday. The Golden Eagles are 12-2 and opened league play with an 85-73 victory over Houston. USM ranks in the top 100 nationally in 13 major categories, including 10th in field goal % defense (37.4%), 13th in rebounding margin (+9.1) and 20th in scoring margin (16.7).
Gary Flowers, the No. 2 scorer in C-USA, averages 21.3 PPG while hauling in a team-high 7.8 boards per contest. He is also the team leader in shooting percentage (53.6%), blocked shots per game (1.8) and three-pointers (27).
Following Saturdays action, the Herd will have a quick layoff before facing Savannah State on Monday. Marshall and SSU met earlier in the year on December 15 with the Herd taking a 56-47 win in Savannah. Tirrell Baines recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Monday's game will start earlier than usual, with tip set for 6 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
