HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni has insisted all season, if you had attended his team’s practices you would not be surprised when Marshall started put it all together. Over the last three games, the Herd has hit its stride, scoring over 90 points in three consecutive wins to begin league play, including Saturday night’s 99-81 win over Florida International University.
“It’s there, we just weren’t getting it done on the floor,” insisted D’Antoni. “When you play and the ball moves as fast as it moves, everything’s got to be together. It takes a while to get that. You have to be committed as a coach to work through that. Some coaches get nervous, because they’re making decisions and you aren’t.”
It’s no coincidence that Marshall’s success mirrors the individual success of University of Miami-transfer James Kelly. Kelly posted his league leading eighth double-double Saturday night with 33 points and 15 rebounds.
“After sitting out a year, it was good to get back in my groove. Now it’s fun, because we’re clicking, the ball is moving and we’re getting easy buckets,” Kelly said.
Kelly was 12-of-19 from the floor while, Jon Elmore had a career high 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Ryan Taylor had 15 points and tied a career-high with eight assists.
“Jon and Ryan direct the traffic. Ryan does it from the point forward position and Jon does it as the point guard position,” explained D’Antoni. “It’s what they do. Jon is clever and understands the game. He’s a good player.”
You have to go back to 1995 to find the last time Marshall scored 90 points or more in three straight games. That last happened when Marshall played in the Southern Conference under head coach Bill Donavan when the Herd posted wins over Jacksonville State (W, 111-90, Feb. 12), Appalachian State (W, 95-64, Feb. 14), VMI (L, 103-94, Feb. 17), and Tennessee State (W, 111-84, Feb. 19).
Marshall now must go on the road over the next two weekend to play four consecutive games away from the Cam Henderson Center. The Herd begins a swing through Texas on Thursday at North Texas then faces Rice on Saturday.