— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall more than capitalized on a 24-0 run that started late in the first half and extended until early in the second to race past Glenville State, 99-73, Monday night in front of 4,065 fans at Cam Henderson center.
The Thundering Herd held a 41-38 lead when Taevion Kinsey scored on a dunk with 2:09 left in the first half. That started a 10-0 burst to give the Sun Belt Conference team a 51-38 lead at the break. Marshall scored the first 14 points in the second half to go ahead 65-38 at the 16:20 mark. The lead got as high as 31 (71-40) after Obinna Anochili-Killen ended a 6-0 charge with jumper with 14:20 left on the clock.
This was Marshall’s final non-conference game of the season. The Herd starts Sun Belt play December 29 at home against Appalachian State.
“I thought we got a little sloppy,” Herd coach Dan D’Antoni said. “I thought in the second half, we came out and started to deliver on who we are and busted it out.”
Micah Handlogten, the Herd’s 7-foot-1 big man, had 13 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double. He also blocked five shots.
Andrew Taylor, redshirt senior guard, led Marshall with 22 points. Anochili-Killen netted 17 thanks to making 7-of-8 shots. Kinsey closed with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Kamdyn Curfman totaled 10 points.
Kinsey and Taylor have scored 10 or more points in all 13 games. Handlogten’s double-double was his fourth.
The Herd had a 56-34 edge in rebounds. The 56 rebounds are the most for the program since it had 50 last season against Eastern Kentucky. The Herd also had a season-high 15 steals.
“A game we thought we could play everybody, get everybody in that hadn’t played this time of year before the meat of our conference schedule,” D’Antoni said. “And it helps a state school and gets our name throughout the state. Plus their coach (Justin Caldwell) is from Mullens.
“We have to be better. I don’t want to pat them on the back and make them feel good when they have to be better. We had too many turnovers (20). We have to be sharper with the ball, and defensively we have to be a lot better.”
As expected, Marshall’s size took its toll and Glenville State (6-6) over the game and the visitors shot 40 percent from the field.
Jordan Turbo Smith led the Mountain East Conference team with 18 points. Trevor Chandler and Jay Scott finished with 11 each.
This was the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools.