HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Balanced contributions from across the roster, including a seventh consecutive double-double from Ryan Taylor, helped lift Marshall to its fifth win in six outings, 87-82, over Western Kentucky in front of a raucous crowd of 6,135 at Cam Henderson Center on Saturday.
With the win, Marshall all (9-16, 5-7) swept its three-game homestand and earned its fifth win in league play—the most for the Herd since it went 6-10 in 2012-13.
Five Marshall players reached double-figure scoring: Austin Loop with 23, Justin Edmonds with 15, Taylor with 14,DeVince Boykins with a career-high 10 and JP Kambola also with 10.
Western Kentucky (16-8, 9-3) held a first half lead of 30-25 lead at the eight-minute mark, but the Herd’s open-floor offense versus the Hilltopper zone effectively led to an 11-0 run until 4:43. Behind the run came Hilltoppers guard Trency Jackson with two 3-pointers in the final three minutes, but the Herd managed to garner a 47-43 halftime lead.
Taylor used a pick-and-pop to hit a 3-pointer that broke a 69-69 tie with 5:20 left.
From that point on, the Herd piled on the big plays. After a Kambola block, Boykins threw the hammer down on a dunk to increase the lead to 74-69.
Marshall enjoyed a 20-8 edge in points off turnovers.