Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Savannah State
Herd Goes to Boards for Second Victory
11/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall placed three players in double figures in rebounds Sunday and senior forward Shawn Smith scored a game-high 19 points as the Thundering Herd rolled to a 66-47 men's basketball win over visiting Savannah State at the Cam Henderson Center.
Sophomore Ryan Taylor had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Marshall (2-0), while senior post man Cheikh Sane added 10 rebounds and junior Jay Johnson came off the bench for 10. The Herd won the battle on the glass, 49-40, and limited the Tigers (0-2) to 32.8 percent shooting.
It was the second win in less than 48 hours for new MU coach Dan D'Antoni, whose team shot 51.9 percent in the second half, when the Herd had 11 assists on its 14 field goals. Marshall widened the margin by scoring 12 of the first 17 points for the second half for a 43-25 lead with 14:17 to play.
"Defensively, we're not bad," D'Antoni said. "We're long, and I thought Alex (freshman reserve point guard Aleksa Nikolic) did a great job defensively when he was in there. We're capable of playing the passing lanes and Cheikh is active inside. We have some capabilities there."
D'Antoni's team opened last Friday with a 74-55 home win over Jacksonville State.
"All in all, for a young ball club, we're 2-0, and they weren't close ballgames ... It's nothing to rest your laurels on, but it's a good start."
Taylor posted his eighth career double-double and added six assists to his double-double. Nikolic had five assists. Javaris Jenkins and Khalen Pinkett led Savannah State with 12 points apiece.
The Herd has another quick turnaround, facing WVU Tech (5-0) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Henderson Center. Marshall plays its first road game of the season on Friday night, visiting No. 8 Louisville.
