Herd snaps losing skid with 90-76 win

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.— Ryan Taylor notched a double-double, while Marshall had four players in double figures in a 90-76 win over Division II opponent King University. The win snaps a six-game losing streak for the Herd.

“I know how the hype is to come in and play a D1 team and when you’ve got shooters you can really stay with anyone like that,” said Taylor who finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds. “I knew it would be a tough, grind-it-out type of game.”

The game featured a mind boggling 76 three-point attempts with the teams combining for 28 three’s in the game. Marshall finished the game 16-for-39 from beyond the arc, while shooting 37 percent from the field.

“You have to give them credit. They came out and shot the ball. They [King] usually win a lot of their games with three’s and turning turnovers into layups. They weren’t able to do that,” said coach Dan D’Antoni.

Marshall led 40-35 at the half and King University kept things close early on in the second half and even briefly took a 45-44 lead with 15:38 to play. But Pineville, W.Va. native Brett Bowling gave the Herd the lead back with a three-pointer. Marshall eventually pulled away down the stretch.

King’s Logan Lyle led all scorers with 20 points. Lyle and Hunter LeVeau, who finished with 12 points, were the only Tornado scorers in double figures.

Austin Loop led Marshall with 17 points, all in the first half. Tamron Manning notched 16 points while Justin Edmonds chipped in with 14 points.

“We made some good plays and did some good things. We got a win against a team that is 6-2, even though they are Division II, they’re still 6-2. The only games they’ve lost were very close.,” said D’Antoni. “I’m happy with the win. We have two weeks we can work individually with them and get some improvement.”

The Herd will spend its next four games on the road, finishing its nonconference schedule with trips to Arkansas State, Nevada and Akron.

“The first one is Arkansas State. It’s a winnable game, but with this team, every game is an adventure. It will be all the way through the year. Anytime you have a developing team, it’s like that. I’ve tried to tell them, every game is a package. When that package is closed, the next game delivers a whole new set of problems,” pointed out D’Antoni. “We have to come with all of our goods every game, because we haven’t gotten that swagger and fuel where you push teams away from you because of tradition or the rhythm you create. We aren’t there yet. Some of our other coaches have said we have a good chance to win this next game, but we will have no chance if we don’t prepare and get ready. Every game will be a roller coaster with us.”





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