By David Walsh
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Marshall men’s basketball has been cold from outside to start the season, having made just five three-pointers through two games. That’s a stark contrast for a Thundering Herd team that has earned a reputation as a team that is not shy about pulling the trigger from beyond the arc. Dan D’Antoni’s team looked more like the Marshall squad we’ve become accustom to, nailing 12-of-21 from long rage, going on to beat College of Charleston 84-72.
“You don’t beat a team like that unless you shoot it well,” D’Antoni said after the game on the Thundering Herd Sports Network. “Been talking about it. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. It’s part of the game that makes us better.”
Marshall hit 31-of-56 shots overall for its best field performance of the young season, improving to 3-0. The teams traded first-half spurts and finished even at 43-43 at halftime.
Point guard Andrew Taylor made a three-point play with 12:10 left to give the Herd a 61-59 lead and the visitors led the rest of the way. College of Charleston (1-3) suffered through lapses of 6-plus and 4-plus minutes in the second half without making a basket.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys who really compete,” D’Antoni said. “On defense, they get after you.”
Jannson Williams and Jarrod West each scored 19 points to lead Marshall. For Williams, he made 4-of-8 from behind the arc en route to a season-high point total. West made 4-of-4 from three and 7-of-10 overall. Taevion Kinsey tallied 13 points and a team-high nine assists Darius George 11 points.
In the second half, D’Antoni didn’t substitute as much and also played a little different style down the stretch with a double-figure lead.
“Milked the clock. Tried to bring the clock to them,” the coach said. “Pressure them to try to get the lead down a little faster. This time it worked.
“I experimented with the lineup. We have to get better where we can do that. I didn’t do that as much in the second half. I didn’t want to lose the flow.”
Brevin Galloway paced the Cougars with a career-high 27 points. Zep Jasper contributed 16 and Payton Willis 11. The Colonial Athletic Association team also nailed 12 three-pointers, but finished 23-for-60 overall.
“Jannon stepped up,” D’Antoni said. “We got the usual from Jarrod and Taevion. I wish they didn’t shoot it as well as they did. Didn’t shoot like that against Furman.”
Marshall now returns home to play four games. Ohio University visits Cam Henderson Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. Toledo follows in Dec. 16 in back-to-back games against Mid-American Conference schools.
In the first half, each team had one major run and left the floor tied 43-43.
Marshall nailed 7-of-9 threes in the first half. The Herd enjoyed a 16-2 run in a three-plus minute stretch to open a 40-26 lead and prompted the home team to call a timeout.
The Cougars then responded with a surge of their own. They scored 14 straight points to pull even at 40-40 with 2:30 left in the half.
From that point, each team scored three point to finish tied after 20 minutes.
Marshall is now 1-1 in the series against College of Charleston. This is the first time since 2011-12 the Herd has won back-to-back non-conference road games. College of Charleston is now 37-15 all-time against Conference USA teams.