El Paso, TX — Marshall got a sample of what its opposition has faced all year, as UTEP spread the floor and shot lights out from three-point range to best Marshall in an old west shootout, 112-108 Thursday night at the Don Haskins Center. The Miners were a scorching 56.1 percent from floor and connected on 11-of-18 three’s on the night.
“This team spreads you out and shot the ball extremely well. They’re hard to guard when you play that way, it’s kind of the way we play,” commented coach Dan D’Antoni, whose team dropped to 11-12 on the season and 7-3 in Conference USA.
Despite the Miners’ hot shooting, Marshall had opportunities to win the game, something D’Antoni lamented afterwards.
“I’m just disappointed. We had two or three plays that we could have made that weren’t difficult. We didn’t make them. We’re going to have to get better.”
Marshall appeared to take control of the game early in the second half when the Herd reached its biggest lead of the game, 14 points, with 17:39 left to play. But, with Marshall leading 66-52, UTEP mounted its comeback.
The Miners used a 20-6 run to overtake the Herd 81-10 with 10:56 to play. The game tilted back and forth for the rest of the half with neither team able to break away. A pair of free-throws by Jon Elmore with 2:51 remaining tied the game at 104-104 but UTEP took advantage of critical offensive rebounds and Thundering Herd fouls.
In the final three minutes the miners coverted 5-for-8 at the free-throw line and pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds that led to a Dominic Artis layup and another free-throw opportunity that gave the Miners the slight edge they needed.
“We’re going to have be better. We let a couple of rebounds go and free-throws that really titled the game,” said D’Antoni. “We still had a chance but didn’t take advantage of it.”
Five players finished in double figures for the Herd, including a trio of 20-point scorers. James Kelly had 26, Jon Elmore had 21 and Ryan Taylor finished with 20. C.J. Burks had 16 points off the bench and Stevie Browning contributed 11 points.
The combined 220 points were the most scored in a regulation game for the Herd since a 125-104 loss against Western Carolina on Feb. 6, 1996.
“We’re a good ball club. You can’t worry about one game. This is a long season and we play them all.”
Marshall moves on to UTSA Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET.