Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
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UTEP
UTEP Outlasts @HerdMBB, 112-108
2/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO, Texas - It was one for the record books as Marshall men's basketball dropped a wild western shootout at UTEP on Thursday night, 112-108, at Don Haskins Center.
Despite five double-figure scorers in the book for the Thundering Herd (11-12, 7-3), Marshall dropped its second consecutive Conference USA game. The Miners snapped a three-game losing streak, improving to 12-11, 4-6 in C- USA. The 220 combined points were the most in a regulation game for the Herd since a 125-104 loss against Western Carolina on Feb. 6, 1996.
Senior forward James Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich.), led a trio of 20-point scorers for Marshall, contributing 26. Jon Elmore (Charleston, W.Va.) had 21, and Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis) had 20. Redshirt freshman C.J. Burks (Martinsburg, W.Va.) had 16 points off the bench and Stevie Browning (Logan, W.Va.) had 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
The game teeter-tottered for a few minutes until the Herd pulled away on a 10-4 run, which included seven points from Taylor, to take a 15-9 lead at 15:23. The teams traded leads twice more until the Herd gained control and kept it over the next eight minutes. The Miners caught up with 6:52 remaining in the half (32-32), and eventually surpassed the Herd for the first time since the 13:56 mark, taking a 36-32 lead at 6:16. However, Marshall pulled itself together and ended the half outscoring UTEP 23-11, taking a 55-47 lead into the break. The Herd led by as many as 13 in the first half. Burks had 14 points off the bench, playing eight minutes in the first half.
Marshall reached a pinnacle margin of 14 points at 17:39, up 66-52. However, starting from the 14:47 mark, the Miners roared back with a 20-6 run, overtaking the lead with 10:56 to go (81-80). From that point, neither team had a lead of more than seven points. UTEP's seven-point advantage at 7:31 was its largest of the game, up 92-85. Each team reached the century mark with four minutes remaining. In the final three minutes, there were four ties and two lead changes. Foul trouble for Marshall and solid offensive rebounding by UTEP down the stretch gave the win to the Miners, 112-108.
UTEP finished with a blistering 56.1 percent mark from the field (37-of-66), compared to the Herd's 53.5 percent (38-of-71). The Miners shot 61.1 percent from 3-point range (11-of-18), while the Herd missed just four free throws on the night (84.0 percent, 21-of-25). Marshall had the slight edge in rebounding, 36-35.
The Herd has never defeated UTEP when playing in El Paso (0-6).
MILESTONES
- Most points scored in regulation against a C-USA opponent (previous 100 vs. East Carolina, Feb. 6, 2010)
- Most points scored against a D-I opponent since Feb. 27, 2010, vs. UCF (W, 121-115 3OT)
- Most points scored in regulation against a D-I opponent since Dec. 20, 2008, vs. High Point (W, 109-76)
- Most combined points scored in regulation in a Marshall basketball game since Feb. 5, 1996, vs. Western Carolina (L, 125-104)
THE LAST TIMEââ'¬Â¦
- The Herd scored 100 or more points against a D-I opponent: Nov. 18, 2012, at Hofstra (L, 103-100 2OT)
- The Herd scored 100 or more points against a C-USA opponent: March 8, 2012, vs. Tulsa (W, 105-100 3OT)
- The Herd scored 100 or more points in regulation against a D-I opponent: Feb. 6, 2010, vs. ECU (W, 100-49)
- The Herd and its opponent each scored 100 or more points in regulation: Feb. 5, 1996 vs. Western Carolina (L, 125-104)
UP NEXT
Marshall will travel to San Antonio to take on UTSA on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET on American Sports Network. For the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter.
---HerdZone.com---
