— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Sophomore Taevion Kinsey helped Marshall University break out of a slump in a big way Thursday night, scoring 14 points and dishing out 14 assists to lead the Thundering Herd past Howard, 91-63, at Cam Henderson Center.
This was the final game in the Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational.
Marshall finished with 29 assists Kinsey, who hit 7-of-8 shots, also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as the Herd enjoyed a 45-31 edge on the boards.
The Herd made it a good night for Mikel Beyers as this was the PurpleForPeyton night in memory of Beyers’ stepbrother Peyton Munger, who passed away on Friday. Attendance was 5,383 and Herd fans were asked to wear purple, Munger’s favorite color.
Marshall (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win.
Howard dropped to 0-6. The Herd’s idle until Nov. 29 when its takes on SEC member Florida in Gainesville.
Iran Bennett hit for a career-best 17 points to lead Marshall in scoring. He made 7-of-12 shots from the field. Jannson Williams canned 6-of-8 and totaled 15 points and Jarrod West rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11.
Kyle Foster led Howard in points with 14, hitting three three-pointers. Charles Williams, who led the Bison in scoring with an 18.8 average starting the night, finished with 13. He struggled from the floor, making 2-of-13 shots. Howard’s starting five made just 11-of-38 attempts from the field.
Williams made two free throws with 13:07 left in the first half to get the Bison within two at 15-13. Darius George scored on a tip-in for the Herd and Williams added a three-pointer at 12:13 to hike the lead to seven and Marshall continued to roll from that point.
The Conference USA squad’s lead at the half was 47-27. The biggest lead was 33 at 85-52 with 4:18 left. As for points in the paint, Marshall enjoyed at 64-15 edge.
Marshall is 2-0 all-time now against Howard, which belongs to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
This was the fourth of six straight away games for the Bison.
The MABC is a non-profit that provides knowledge, tools, and support services for men that are helping wives and mothers battling breast cancer.