— By Bill Cornwell
After completing a 3-1 Sun Belt Conference home stand, Marshall hit the road with confidence.
That confidence took a hit Thursday night as the Herd remained winless on the road this season, falling just short in a 67-64 loss at James Madison.
Marshall (10-9, 3-3) gets another opportunity Saturday afternoon when the Thundering Herd faces Coastal Carolina (8-10, 1-5) at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
The game tips off at 3:30 p.m and can be seen on ESPN+.
The Chanticleers lost at home Thursday in overtime to Georgia Southern, 88-87.
Marshall trailed by 14 at halftime at JMU on Thursday and much of the Dukes’ damage was done over the first 5 minutes of the game as the Herd turned the ball over four times and shot 1 for 8 from the field. Marshall had 12 turnovers at halftime.
The second half was marked improvement, and Marshall outscored JMU 39-28, while shooting 53 percent from the field.
“We have to come out and be ready every night,” Jackson said. “We have to learn from the last game and make a quick turnaround. We can’t let this loss bleed into the Coastal game.”
Guard Jalen Speer led Marshall with 20 points, including five three-pointers. Obinna Anochili-Killen (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Nate Martin (11 points, 11 boards) both recorded double-doubles.
Marshall guard Dezayne Mingo was held to two points by the Dukes.
A frustrating season for Coastal Carolina continued on Thursday. The Chanticleers erased nine-point Georgia Southern lead in the final 2 minutes of regulation and held a one-point lead, but couldn’t finish the job in overtime.
In the loss, five Coastal players scored in double figures, led by Jordan Battle’s 16 points.
Like Jackson, Justin Gray is in his first year as head coach after three seasons leading Western Carolina.
Three Coastal players average scoring in double-figures each game — sophomore guard Rasheed Jones (13.6), Battle (11.2) and sophomore center Noah Amenhauser (11.1). Sophomore forward Denzel Hines leads the Chanticleers in rebounding with an average of 7.2.
The Chanticleers’ only Sun Belt win came against UL Monroe two weeks back.
The Herd and Chanticleers are meeting for the fifth time and Marshall has taken three of the first four matchups. The teams split their games last season, with both winning at home.