— By David Walsh
Toledo had the strong start. Marshall chalked up a stronger finish and knocked off the Rockets, 85-73, Saturday in front of 4,026 fans at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
The Rockets, 0-2 with both setbacks at home against Sun Belt Conference opponents, led 40-30 at the break as their balanced attack saw eight different players score.
It was a different scenario for Marshall in the second half as the visitors capitalized on a 25-2 run to take a 74-55 lead with 3:55 left.
“Our guy responded,” Marshall coach Corny Jackson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the guys for responding. Road wins definitely are lot tougher.”
Marshall, 2-0, has a pair of wins against Mid-American Conference teams after opening with a victory at Massachusetts.
Marshall took it first second-half lead at 55-53 when Wyatt Fricks made a three-point jumper with 13:06 on the clock. At 12:24, Wyatt Dubinsky nailed a trey for a 58-53 margin and the lead swelled from there. Jalen Speer drained a three-pointer with 4:09 to go to bring the Herd’s lead to 74-55.
Speer led the Herd with 20 point, including six threes. Fricks finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. 7-foot-4 Matt Komen tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. He also blocked four shots.
Sean Craig and Sonny Wilson each scored 16 points to pace the Rockets. Leroy Blydenj Jr. and Kyler Vanderjagt finished with 10 each.
Jackson said the Herd had to respond in the second half or else.
“They had to execute,” Jackson said. “They came out (in the second half) and executed the right plays. We got (Van Komen) going, plus we made shots. They were the same shots in the second half. We were just making them.”
Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk made some substitutions in the second half and that’s when Marshall shooters began to find the range.
“The turning point of the game was when our second unit came into the game in the second half,” Kowalczyk said. “Marshall hit back-to-back threes on scouting mistakes and that gave them the lead. You can’t give a team like that confidence and momentum in the game. We’re such a young team and not tough enough to deal with adversity right now, but we will be. It’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We just need to keep working and find some answers.”
Speer netted 17 of his points in the second half. The Herd totaled 15 threes to six for the home team.
“Coach Corny came in at halftime and ripped us pretty good,” Speer said. “I took it kind of personally.”
This is the 10th straight year the two teams have played. Toledo had won seven of the last eight contests.
The Herd plays its first home game Wednesday against Elon. Tipoff at Cam Henderson Center is 7 p.m.