HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Thundering Herd snapped its nine-game losing streak and picked up its first conference win of the season, 78-71 over UTEP Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.
The win also snapped a 15-game losing skid against Division I teams.
Junior guard Justin Edmonds led the way for the Herd, scoring a career-high 20 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
“It felt great,” he said,. “My teammates put me in position to make shots. Coach said shoot the ball with energy and work on your shot. If you miss a shot, come in and work on it.”
UTEP came into the game with a 77 RPI and a 9-1 mark against Marshall the Herd joined C-USA in the 2005-06 season.
UTEP had been giving up just 62.2 points a game.
“This was a really big reward for them and I’m happy,” said coach Dan D’antoni. “They deserve it. They have prepared themselves to win this game through a lot of snowy weather. I’m looking forward to the next time we get on the floor, which is tomorrow morning. It will be a little more fun and we will prep for the next games on the schedule.”
Sophomore Ryan Taylor scored 10 of the final 11 points for the Herd, and his driving hoop gave Marshall the lead for good at 69-68 after UTEP had erased a 10-point Herd lead. Taylor finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds — his seventh double-double of the season and 14th in his two Marshall seasons.
JP Kambola made only his third start of the season for Marshall, and the senior center played big with 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes. And freshman point guard Aleksa Nikolic produced 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Marshall shot 40.6 percent, had a 41-37 rebounding edge and committed only 10 turnovers. The Herd also made 10 steals.
“Marshall played harder and played smarter,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. “No excuses. Our kids played spirited, played hard and we had opportunities. We just didn’t take advantage of them. Edmonds was absolutely outstanding.
The Herd now hits the road for a two-game C-USA trip to Southern Miss on Thursday night and Louisiana Tech on Saturday before returning to the Henderson Center for three straight conference games against Rice, North Texas and Western Kentucky.