— by Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The losing streak is no more. Now it’s time for Marshall’s men’s basketball team to see if it can stack together some wins and get its season headed in the right direction down the stretch.
With the bad taste no longer lingering from a 10-game skid, the Herd (8-13, 1-7) travels to Norfolk, Virginia for Thursday’s 8 p.m. matchup against Old Dominion (8-12, 3-4), which can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
Marshall is coming off an 84-81 win over UAB, the Herd’s first victory in 49 days.
Marshall head coach Dan D’Antoni says his team’s mood has brightened a lot since Saturday’s win over UAB, but he’s looking for consistency and continued good performances starting at ODU.
“I’m sure they feel a lot better about themselves,” D’Antoni said. “We didn’t just win any game, but we beat the best team in Conference USA in UAB, but we now have to go back and do it again on Thursday.”
ODU picked up a win at home over Charlotte last Saturday in convincing fashion, 68-52.
Jeff Jones is in his ninth season leading the Monarchs and has a 176-106 record during his time in Norfolk.
Thus far in Conference USA play, ODU has picked up wins against Charlotte, FIU and UTSA, while losing to Charlotte, Rice, North Texas and UTEP.
The Herd was able to beat UAB without Conference USA’s top scorer, junior guard Taevion Kinsey, who suffered a foot injury in the team’s previous game — a loss to Middle Tennessee. D’Antoni remains unsure if Kinsey will play at Old Dominion and said the Herd’s go-to offensive option would be reevaluated before the contest.
D’Antoni was pleased to see others step up last Saturday in the win over the Blazers. Freshman center Obinna Anochili-Killen (23 points and 11 rebounds) and junior guard Andrew Taylor (15 points) had solid nights as did freshman guard Kyle Braun, who scored a career-high 11 points while playing a season-high 29 minutes.
Another standout for Marshall in the win was senior forward Mikel Beyers, who made 3-of-6 attempts from 3-point range and 6-of-11 shots overall. He also had six rebounds and a steal.
Beyers has been in and out of the Herd’s lineup this season, but D’Antoni says Marshall fans finally saw the Houston native’s full arsenal against the Blazers.
“With his shooting, he’s moving in the right direction,” D’Antoni said. “He’s a talented guy, although he’s still making too many turnovers [four vs. UAB].”
Kinsey still leads Marshall at 20.7 points per game, followed by Anochili-Killen (12.9 ppg) and Taylor (12.8 ppg). Anochili-Killen continues leading the Herd in rebounds with 6.7 per game, followed closely by Kinsey and Taylor.
Four Monarchs average scoring in double figures, led by senior guard C.J. Keyser (14.6 ppg). Also scoring in double figures are senior forward Austin Trice (12.1 ppg), junior forward Kalu Ezikpe (10.8 ppg) and sophomore guard Jaylin Hunter (10.1 ppg).
Trice (7.3) and Ezikpe (6.8) are two of ODU’s top rebounders, along with sophomore guard Mekhi Long (6.9 rpg).
Marshall and ODU have met 18 previous times and each has nine wins in the series.
A man with ties to both Marshall and Old Dominion will be honored at halftime on Thursday — the late Sonny Allen.
Allen is a Marshall alumnus and former assistant who later became head coach at ODU for 10 seasons and led the Monarchs to the 1974 NCAA Division II national championship. He ended his coaching career at SMU.
The Herd has a quick turnaround after facing the Monarchs and wraps up its two-game road trip at Charlotte on Saturday.