Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
19-13,11-7Sun Belt
#10 Seed Georgia Southern
21-15,8-10Sun Belt
Marshall Men’s Basketball Falls, 82-78, In The SBC Semifinals
3/9/2026 1:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Shamarrie Hugie scores career-high 19 points, but Herd falls just short in loss to Eagles
Box Score
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Marshall Men's Basketball rallied from 13 points down to lead late, but fell to Georgia Southern, 82-78, on Sunday night in the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals at Pensacola Bay Center.
With the loss, Marshall exits the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at 19-13 overall.
"Obviously, it's a tough loss because it's the last game of the season, but I'm proud of these guys," Marshall head coach Cornelius Jackson said. "We talked a bit in the locker room after the game: in life and sport, all you can ask for is an opportunity. We had our opportunities. We played well enough to win, regardless of the adversity we were going through."
Shamarrie Hugie scored a career-high 19 points and added eight rebounds to lead five Marshall players in double-figures on Sunday.
Hugie's effort was one of several from players who had to step up with illness hindering the Herd lineup, which included starter Noah Otshudi – the Herd's third-leading scorer who started in all 31 games, but was unable to play on Sunday.
Wyatt Fricks and Jalen Speer scored 18 and 15 points respectively in their final games with the Herd while Caleb Hollenbeck got the start in Otshudi's place and scored 11 points while Landen Joseph fought through illness himself to chip in 10.
"I'm proud of these guys because we had several guys step up," Jackson said.
Hollenbeck's 3-pointer with 1:24 left gave Marshall a 77-76 lead, but it would be the team's last as Georgia Southern hit six free throws in the final 56 seconds of the game to move on to Monday's championship game against Troy.
The Herd trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, but rallied back to take a lead after a three-minute stretch in which they outscored Georgia Southern 15-2.
Hollenbeck helped spearhead the comeback, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and a mid-range jumper during the run as the Herd went in front 52-48 for its biggest advantage of the contest at the 14:43 mark.
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---HerdZone.com---
