Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
17-12,10-6Sun Belt
App State
17-11,10-6Sun Belt
Marshall Men’s Basketball Takes Down App State, 69-59
2/22/2025 4:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mingo’s season-high 25 leads Herd to pivotal road sweep in SBC play
Box Score | Coach Jackson Post-Game Presser
BOONE, N.C. – Marshall junior guard Dezayne Mingo had a season-high 25 points and the Thundering Herd defense locked in late to earn a 69-59 win over App State at Holmes Convocation Center on Saturday.
The win gave Marshall a pivotal road sweep in last week's Sun Belt Conference action and moved the Herd to 17-12 overall and 10-6 in SBC play.
"That was a heck of a game with both teams battling it out," Marshall Men's Basketball head coach Cornelius Jackson said. "At one point in the game, one of the referees came over and looked at me and said, 'This is a heck of a game.' We knew it would be that way. Anytime you can win, it's a really good win because winning is hard. Our guys played well, executed and played tough. We had to play well to come in here and win."
Marshall's defense stood tall down the stretch against the Mountaineers, allowing App State just two field goals in the last seven minutes to thwart a comeback attempt.
Mingo led an efficient scoring effort across the board that also saw Jalen Speer finish with 16 points and eight rebounds while Nate Martin added 15 points and six rebounds in the post.
The game's biggest stretch came with just under five minutes left after App State trimmed a double-digit Marshall led to one point.
Marshall got a steal from Mingo and the transition opportunity led to a tough layup by Speer that pushed the lead back to three. On the Herd's next possession, Mingo knocked down a big 3-pointer from the wing that doubled the margin to 61-55.
"We knew they were going to be really good and we knew it was going to be a fight to the end so it was about making shots, making plays and playing hard," Mingo said. "It felt good out there. It's tough playing on the road, but it was a lot of fun."
Marshall never led in the first half, but that changed instantly after halftime as the Herd hit eight of its first 11 field goal attempts from the floor to take a double-digit lead.
That figure included the first three 3-point attempts – one each by Mikal Dawson, Jalen Speer and Dezayne Mingo - during a 15-4 stretch that produced a 48-38 lead.
Mingo was a big factor in the first half as Marshall kept pace with the Mountaineers. For the second straight game, Mingo was in double-figures in the first half, leading the Herd with 10 before halftime as the Herd trailed 32-31.
After a four-game road swing, Marshall returns home for the final two games of the regular season. The Herd hosts Old Dominion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night before returning home for Senior Night in a nationally-televised 9 p.m. contest against App State on Friday night.
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