— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Old Dominion decided to press the issue in the first meeting against Marshall and gave the visitors a scare before falling just short. The setting presented itself again Tuesday night in the Sun Belt Conference rematch between the two teams.
This time, the Thundering Herd executed the press break the way it was worked up and it went from a one-point lead with 13 minutes left to a 61-46 advantage with 6:53 top play on a jumper by Dezayne Mingo. The Herd continued to find open space against the pressure and pulled away to win 83-66 at Cam Henderson Center.
Mingo’s all-around floor game proved too much for the Monarchs. He had 22 points, five rebounds, six assists and one turnover in 36-plus minutes. Obinna Anochili-Killen added 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Nate Martin finished with 12 and Mikal Dawson 11 all in the first half.
In last Thursday’s 81-77 win in Norfolk, Va., Mingo fired in 12 points, got eight rebounds six assists.
“Dezayne’s smooth operator and he’s getting better and better,” first-year Herd coach Corny Jackson said of the 6-foot-4 junior guard from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. “He came from Canada and had to get use to the physicality and athleticism. He’s better than the guy guarding him (late in the game). He can create things for himself and others. We needed every bit of it.”
Anochili-Killen said Mingo makes him think about another Canadian success. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is from Canada and excels in the NBA with Oklahoma City,
“Yes he is like that Canadian, Shai Alexander,” Anochili-Killen said. “He comes off that screen and you ought to see his face. He’s a huge piece for us.”
Jackson said his Herd had answers for Old Dominion’s pressure this time unlike the first meeting when the Monarchs cut an 18-point lead with seven minutes left down to three in the final 30 seconds.
“We adjusted,” Jackson said. “We attacked the press. Something we put in the last few days. They caught us by surprise at ODU. Tonight we made them pay.”
Jackson and his coaching staff had discussions about the press break and his players broke the traps, got the ball to the open man and then went in for easy baskets. Two hoops were resounding dunks by Anochili-Killen.
“We walked through it and I thought we executed it well,” Jackson said. “At their place they were super aggressive, came to the ball and we got trapped. Tonight we came out higher, came back to get the ball and had our big (Anochili-Killen) in back.”
Another plus for Marshall was bench play. The Herd got quality time from Kai Speers, Jakob Gibbs, Erich Harding and Wyatt Fricks. Starters Jalen Speer and Dawson saw little court time in the second half.
“They came out on fire at the start of the game,” Jackson said of Old Dominion. “We kept our poise for the most part and made some adjustments at the half. We had a few blown defensive assignments. We took away the three from No. 4 (Robert Davis Jr.). Kai gave us some great minutes. So did Jakob, Erich and Wyatt. We got what we expect out of our starters. Those guys gave us huge minutes.”
Mingo agreed as he downplayed his production a bit.
“Best thing about our team is we’re really deep,” Mingo said. “Again Kai comes in the second half and plays a big role. It was a team effort on defense. Guys stepped up and took away the ball screen. It can be anybody’s night. I think we’re the deepest team (in SBC) and it helps a lot.”
Marshall is 18-12, 11-5 SBC. It’s a game up on Appalachian State in the standings after the Mountaineers lost at Georgia Southern on Tuesday night. Troy is 12-5 after winning at Texas State on Tuesday. South Alabama and Arkansas State are each 11-5 and play Wednesday night.
As for the Herd, Senior Night is Friday when Appalachian State comes to town. Tip is 9 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPNU. Two players who should get rousing ovations are Martin and Obinna-Killen.
“We know we’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Anochili-Killen said. “Nobody plays in an atmosphere like we get. Teams want to showcase for the crowds. We’ll put this behind us, watch film and focus on App St. Coach will put the hottest guy on the spot at that time.”
“We try to win the day,” Jackson said. “All year we’ve won enough days to lead to this. Nate and Obinna had a chance to leave (transfer portal). They both had major offers, major money. Nate stayed. He’s loyal to the program, loyal to Marshall. Obinna stayed. He’s loyal to the program, loyal to Marshall. They could’ve left out of here. We had the opportunity to put good guys around them. I hope we send them out the right way.”
Davis led Old Dominion (11-19, 7-10 SBC) with 23 points. Jaden Johnson added 14 and Sean Durugordon 11.
Marshall led in rebounds, 34-24; points in the paint, 30-12; fast-break points, 13-4; and bench points, 15-7.
Anochili-Killen is the No. 1 shot blocker in the league with 86. The series between Marshall and Old Dominion is now tied 16-16.
The SBC Tournament follows for the men and women. Dates are March 4-11 in Pensacola, Fla. The Herd could get the No. 3 or No. 4 seed and not play until next Saturday. A No. 5 seed would mean its first game would be Friday.