— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall held leads late in regulation and the first overtime, but couldn’t hold them.
Louisiana Monroe got the lead late in the second overtime, held it and knocked off the Thundering Herd, 86-82, in Sun Belt Conference play Thursday night in front of 4,931 stunned fans at Cam Henderson Center.
That had to make Warhawks’ coach Keith Richard the happiest man around. This was his first trip back to Huntington since 1989 when he served as an assistant coach under then-Marshall coach Rick Huckabay. This also was the first meeting between the two schools.
“They’re a good-shooting team,” Herd coach Dan D’Antoni said on the postgame radio show. “Tonight, it didn’t matter. The best defense we had was ourselves. Looked like we were on the wrong foot all night. You can’t make mistakes when they’re shooting threes like that. The lead can disappear fast.”
Late in regulation, the Herd took a 66-63 lead on a basket by Taevion Kinsey with 17 seconds left. He is the leading scorer in the Sun Belt. The Warhawks didn’t panic and Jamari Blackmon nailed a tying 3-pointer with 7 seconds to play to tie it at 66 and force overtime, the second straight OT contest for the Herd.
With 23 seconds left in overtime, Kamdyn Curfman made two free throws for a 74-70 Marshall lead. Blackmon would sink two free throws with 14 seconds to play to cut the deficit to 74-72. The Herd then turned the ball over, and Blackmon came up with a steal that led to Thomas Howell’s dunk to get even at 74. Andy Taylor missed the potential game-winner for Marshall with two seconds left, sending the contest to a second extra session.
In the second overtime, Herd freshman Jacob Conner scored with 3:02 left to get his team within one at 77-76, and came back after a ULM turnover to nail a triple for a 79-77 lead.
Howell countered for the visitors with a basket in the paint with 1:44 left to get even at 79.
ULM called timeout with 1:14 to play and then Howell made a layup with 1:02 on the clock to put Warhawks up 81-79.
Kinsey went to the foul line with 51 seconds left, but he missed both free throws and ULM got the rebound. Blackmon then drilled a 3 for an 84-79 lead with 26 seconds left. Curfman countered with a trey with 17 seconds to play to cut Marshall’s deficit to 84-82. After a timeout, Curfman fouled Blackmon and he connected on both free throws for a four-point cushion. Curfman missed a three with five seconds left and it was then for the Warhawks to celebrate as they ended Marshall’s win streak at five.
Blackmon finished with a career-high 35 points, including 8 of 15 from long range. Howell closed with 21 and 15 rebounds for a double-double. Tyreke Locure, the team’s leading scorer, added 18.
Kinsey totaled 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Taylor had 17, Curfman 15 and Micah Handlogten 10 to go with 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
The Warhawks enjoyed a 58-37 advantage in rebounds (21-10 on offense), made 14 3s to eight for the home team and had 22-6 edge in second-chance points.
“We’re the hunted now,” D’Antoni said. “You see how happy they are after they beat us. They’re down nine (at one point) and didn’t quit. They’re competitors.
“For me, we were not ready to go for things (loose balls, rebounds, etc.). It shows we’re not locked in mentally. They get 22 second-chance points. That’s the ball game. They wanted it more.”
ULM is 10-12 overall and 6-3 in the Sun Belt. The Warhawks visit James Madison on Saturday.
The Herd 17-5 and now tied with the Warhawks in the SBC at 6-3. Marshall looks to rebound Saturday night at home against Georgia State. Tip is 7 p.m.