Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Louisiana Tech
@HerdMBB Upended by LA Tech, 81-57
2/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RUSTON, La. - Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis) posted his ninth double-double of the year, but a costly momentum shift toward the end of the first half hurt Marshall men's basketball (6-16, 2-7) in an 81-57 loss at Louisiana Tech (17-5, 8-1) Saturday at Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La.
The Bulldogs' win extended their home streak to 24 games, and they remain atop the Conference USA standings at 8-1. Marshall's two-game win streak in the league was ended, with the Herd falling to 2-7.
Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, but the Herd kept it close. At 15:58, Austin Loop (South Webster, Ohio) gave Marshall its first lead, 9-7, after three free throws. Edmonds extended the run with a 3-pointer at 14:20 (12-7). A 10-0 Herd run over 2:58 made it 22-9 at 10:40 for Marshall's largest lead of 13. However, the 'Dogs re-gained momentum on a 12-1 run over 4:03 to cut its deficit to 23-21 at 6:24. Marshall went without a field goal from 10:59 to 4:09, and to worsen things, LA Tech exploded on a 20-2 run during the final 4:06 of the half to take a 14-point advantage at halftime, 44-30.
The Bulldogs opened the second half on an 11-3 run to go up 55-33, its largest lead up to the 16:11 mark. A 7-0 run gave the Herd some relief, cutting the deficit to 15 with 14:52 remaining. Three minutes later, another 7-0 Marshall run cut the lead as far back as 11, 63-52, with 8:30 on the clock. However, the nail in the Herd's coffin would come in the form of a 12-0 Bulldog run over 2:34 with six Marshall turnovers. This brought the deficit to 26, the largest of the game, at 81-55 with 2:48 to go. Taylor put in a layup with 1:32 remaining for the eventual final score of 81-57.
Taylor secured his ninth double-double of the year with team-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Edmonds (Albion, Mich.) was the only other Herd player to reach double figures with 17 on 5-of-15 shooting from the field. Kenneth Smith of LA Tech posted a double-double with 12 assists and 12 points, to go with eight rebounds and two steals.
Turnovers were costly for the Herd, with LA Tech converting 26 points out of 23 Marshall missteps. The Bulldogs were also highly efficient from the field, shooting 49 percent (32 of-65) to the Herd's 33 percent (17-of-52).
THE D'ANTONI DISH
Quotes from coach Dan D'Antoni:
On what went wrong:
"Obviously it looked like we ran out of gas a little bit, but that's an excuse and not a reason. As long as they were playing with the energy we had, we had a good lead on them. Then they turned up the volume and we put our head down instead of keeping it up and moving the ball. I think we had two assists in the first half. That's not the type of team we are. We're not the type of team to beat you one-on-one and go down and challenge you one-on-one, and that's what we were trying to do. Their energy - gotta give them credit - caused a little bit of it. This is a learning experience for us. Going 1-of-2 this weekend is not bad."
THE SERIES
Marshall is winless in the series at 0-4 versus the Bulldogs.
LET'S GET SOCIAL
Keep up with the latest news about Herd basketball by liking the team's official Facebook page: Marshall University Basketball. For live in-game updates and news, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter. Want to see photos and behind-the-scenes action? Give @HerdMBB a follow on Instagram.
UP NEXT
The Herd will begin a three-game home stand by hosting Rice on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. at Cam Henderson Center. For all the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter.
---HerdZone.com---
