— By David Walsh
For the second straight game, Taevion Kinsey did his first-half work on the bench as a cheerleader for Marshall’s basketball team due to foul trouble.
The second-half again proved a much different story for Kinsey and the Thundering Herd as it shook off a disastrous turnover with seconds left in regulation to outscore Arkansas State, 13-0, in the first 4 minutes of overtime and go on to post the win, 87-78, in front of 1,084 fans at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
Marshall led 71-67 with 19 seconds left in regulation, but a basket by Markise Davis and then Caleb Fields with three seconds to play, after a Herd turnover, tied the game at 71-71 and forced the first overtime game of the season for Marshall.
Andrew Taylor started the extra session with a three, Kinsey then scored eight straight points and Jacob Conner nailed two free throws for the decisive 13-0 run. Avery Felt hit a three-pointer with 44 seconds left for the first OT basket for the Red Wolves.
“Stay even keel and have fun,” Kinsey said. “That’s what we did. In OT, Andy hits the first shot and we’re off and running. We really went from there.”
In the OT, Marshall went 5-of-5 from the field (one three) and made 5-of-6 free throws. Arkansas State made just 2-of-7 shots.
Taylor led the Herd (16-2, 7-2 Sun Belt and still tied for first) with 27 points, 14 coming in the first half when Kinsey went to the bench with two fouls with just over 16 minutes left on the clock. Kinsey followed with 23, all in the second half and OT, as he made 10-of-16 shots. Kamdyn Curfman added 16 (team-high four threes).
Kinsey did the same thing Thursday night when he got in early foul trouble, led cheers and then returned in the second half to power the Herd past Texas State.
“Frustrated, but let it go,” Kinsey said of his mindset. “All I can do is be a cheerleader. I love to be a cheerleader for our team. With what we have keeps me motivated. I’m happy for them. I love the way they carry us. The second half shows how much fight this team has.
“AT and Kam ran the table. Get to spots, stay aggressive. They were all hyped up for me coming out in the second half.”
Taylor said the Herd’s play with Kinsey out should show the Green and White isn’t a one-man show.
“We’ve got other skilled players,” he said. “Get in the right positions That first three in OT helped us put it away. This was a big test, the second game on the road trip.”
Kinsey, the top scorer in the Sun Belt and preseason pick to be MVP, showed again why he’s now on two award watch lists. They are the Jerry West Award and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year Midseason list.
Herd coach Dan D’Antoni got in his OT instructions later in the break before play resumed as he had to calm down from that shaky finish.
“Calmed down halfway through after I told them we did not do what was supposed to be done (end of regulation),” he said. “We had a chance to regroup. We started to rebound better. We pulled out on them. We were soft in the first half. We’ve got to get better at rebounding against difficult teams.
“I told them this team plays hard. They’re bigger and stronger than Thursday. They’re better than their record shows.
“We made mistakes and didn’t close out in regulation. AT had the big shot in OT. TK took over from there. He has the ability to hit that mid-range jumper. AT had a unbelievable first half. Kam did what he does. Good teams find a way to win.”
David Early came off the bench to score eight for the Herd. He had a big three-point play in each half and two clutch free throws late in regulation. Jacob Conner finished with a career-high 10 rebounds.
Arkansas State is 9-12, 1-7 in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves have lost seven straight since winning their Sun Belt opener at Old Dominion.
This was the fifth meeting between the two teams and the Red Wolves hold a 3-2 lead. The last game came in 2020 and the Herd won, 70-56.
Marshall returns home now for two games. ULM visits Cam Henderson Center on Thursday and Georgia State on Saturday. Both teams start at 7 p.m.