— By David Walsh
Guards Dezayne Mingo and Jalen Speer combined for 41 points to lead Marshall past Appalachian State, 69-59, in a Sun Belt Conference matinee Saturday in front of 4,310 fans at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.
“Both teams played pretty well. Two teams battling it out. Great team effort by us,” first-year Herd coach Cornelius Jackson said.
Marshall improved to 17-10 overall and is now tied with the Mountaineers in the Sun Belt standings at 10-6.
The effort by the Thundering Herd spoiled Senior Day for five players Appalachian State (17-11) recognized before the game.
Down the stretch, the Mountaineers struggled shooting as they went 0-of-4 and 1-of-9 the final 2:31.
Marshall trailed by one at the half, then outscored the home team 38-27 over the final 20 minutes.
The Herd started the second half with a 13-4 run, the Mountaineers battled back only to see the Herd handle late-game situation better.
Mingo scored a career-high points. He made 9-of-15 shots and 4 of 4 at the foul line. The Herd went 9 of 10 from the charity stripe. Speer closed with 16 points and Nate Martin 15 and six rebounds. Its two top guns, Obinna-Anochili-Killen and Mikal Dawson, did not get double figures. The zone defenses the Mountaineers used worked.
“We took what they gave us,” Jackson said. “They made some runs. We gave them a game plan, but they still have to take it to the court.”
Foul shooting by Mingo, Speer and Martin in the final stretch paid dividends.
“At the end of the game, you have to have guys out there who can make free throws,” Jackson said.
Even though Dawson had only five points, the Huntington native and Akron transfer came up with six rebounds and left Jackson pleased with his effort on the other end.
“Mikal had a really good defensive game,” Jackson said. “They went zone 2-3 and 1-3-1 and took away some shots. We settled in and made plays.”
Marshall returns home now for its final two home games. Old Dominion visits Cam Henderson Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Mountaineers come in Friday for the Herd’s Senior Day. Start time has been moved to 9 p.m. for national telecast on either ESPN2 or ESPU.
In addition to Senior Day, the Mountaineers retired Darryl Robinson’s jersey. He played from 1975-79. He finished with 1,631 points for his career.