Marshall University Athletics
Thursday, December 19
Huntington, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
Marshall University
5-6
90
vs
72
Eastern Kentucky
3-8
1
2
F
EKU
31
41
72
MARSHALL
39
51
90
Photo by: Rick Haye
Bennett’s Double-Double Helps Lead Men’s Basketball Past EKU
12/19/2019 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bennett had 21 points and 16 rebounds, both career-highs
Box Score
HUNINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall men's basketball (5-6) forward Iran Bennett recorded the first double-double of his career in the Thundering Herd's 90-72 win over Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night in the Cam Henderson Center
"I thought we played well," Marshall head coach Dan D'Antoni said after the win. "We came out a little shaky. We didn't make shots. Basketball is a game of making shots. You have to make shots. I thought we got good looks and had open looks, but they didn't go in. We started to settle down, and (Darius) George hit a couple threes. Then we got the lid off the basket."
Bennett led Marshall with a career-high 21 points and 16 rebounds for his first career double-double. The redshirt sophomore went 9-for-16 from the field, 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, for his 21 points.
Sophomore Taevion Kinsey followed up Bennett's 21 by pouring 19 points into the basket in the win. The guard went 7-of-12 from the field grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Freshman Marko Sarenac and junior Darius George each put up 11 points, with each making a pair of three-point attempts. George also brought down five rebounds.
Junior Jarrod West had a game-high four steals, while redshirt freshman Andrew Taylor had a game-high five assists in the contest.
Marshall maintained a small lead across the first three-plus minutes of the game before the Colonels went on a 15-2 run and took a 10-point lead, 19-9, which was its largest of the game with 12:38 left in the first half.
However, the Thundering Herd came storming back with an 11-0 run of its own to regain the lead, 22-21, 9:29 left in the opening stanza. MU then used a 7-0 and 6-0 runs in the final nine minutes to take an eight-point lead into the half with the score 39-31.
The second half was all Marshall being with the highlight being a 16-0 run from the 16:56 mark to 12:37 as it concluded with Marshall taking its largest lead of the contest, a 24-point margin of 62-38.
NOTES
Bennett's 16 rebounds are the most by a Thundering Herd men's basketball player since Adjin Penava grabbed 15 on Dec. 28, 2017 against Southern Miss. His 30 minutes were one fewer than his career-high 31 set at then-ranked No. 24 Florida on Nov. 29.
Sarenac's 11 points marked the first double-figure scoring game of his career.
Tonight was the 101st win of Dan D'Antoni's career.
Marshall's 45 points in the paint and 25 bench points are its most against a Division I opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Thundering Herd go back on the road to take on Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on Sunday afternoon.
For all the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
---HerdZone.com---
HUNINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall men's basketball (5-6) forward Iran Bennett recorded the first double-double of his career in the Thundering Herd's 90-72 win over Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night in the Cam Henderson Center
"I thought we played well," Marshall head coach Dan D'Antoni said after the win. "We came out a little shaky. We didn't make shots. Basketball is a game of making shots. You have to make shots. I thought we got good looks and had open looks, but they didn't go in. We started to settle down, and (Darius) George hit a couple threes. Then we got the lid off the basket."
Bennett led Marshall with a career-high 21 points and 16 rebounds for his first career double-double. The redshirt sophomore went 9-for-16 from the field, 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, for his 21 points.
Sophomore Taevion Kinsey followed up Bennett's 21 by pouring 19 points into the basket in the win. The guard went 7-of-12 from the field grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Freshman Marko Sarenac and junior Darius George each put up 11 points, with each making a pair of three-point attempts. George also brought down five rebounds.
Junior Jarrod West had a game-high four steals, while redshirt freshman Andrew Taylor had a game-high five assists in the contest.
Marshall maintained a small lead across the first three-plus minutes of the game before the Colonels went on a 15-2 run and took a 10-point lead, 19-9, which was its largest of the game with 12:38 left in the first half.
However, the Thundering Herd came storming back with an 11-0 run of its own to regain the lead, 22-21, 9:29 left in the opening stanza. MU then used a 7-0 and 6-0 runs in the final nine minutes to take an eight-point lead into the half with the score 39-31.
The second half was all Marshall being with the highlight being a 16-0 run from the 16:56 mark to 12:37 as it concluded with Marshall taking its largest lead of the contest, a 24-point margin of 62-38.
NOTES
Bennett's 16 rebounds are the most by a Thundering Herd men's basketball player since Adjin Penava grabbed 15 on Dec. 28, 2017 against Southern Miss. His 30 minutes were one fewer than his career-high 31 set at then-ranked No. 24 Florida on Nov. 29.
Sarenac's 11 points marked the first double-figure scoring game of his career.
Tonight was the 101st win of Dan D'Antoni's career.
Marshall's 45 points in the paint and 25 bench points are its most against a Division I opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Thundering Herd go back on the road to take on Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on Sunday afternoon.
For all the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
EKU
MARM
FG%
.359
.464
3FG%
.286
.346
FT%
.625
.708
RB
38
51
TO
22
22
STL
12
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
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/ Men's Basketball
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