— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A 16-point win over Western Kentucky on Wednesday night created a feel-good moment for a previously struggling Marshall team that entered the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Herd head coach Cornelius Jackson says strong effort and execution helped Marshall overcome the struggles prevalent in losses to Lipscomb and Ohio, while a one-point setback at UNC Wilmington got away from the Herd late.
“Lipscomb came in and beat us and we weren’t ready to play,” Jackson said. “At Wilmington, I thought that game was taken away from us. At Ohio, we didn’t have competitive focus, toughness or stamina.
“As long as we can defend, keep guys in front of us, rebound and push it up and take quality shots, all is well.”
The Herd (6-4) face another challenge at 4 p.m. Saturday when the Wright State Raiders visit the Cam Henderson Center for a matchup that can be seen on ESPN+.
Wright State (5-5) is coming off of a 86-58 win over Green Bay last Sunday.
After a 24-point effort in the win Wednesday, Marshall guard Jalen Speer is now Marshall’s top scorer at 14 points per game, followed by Wyatt Fricks (13.2), Noah Otshudi (12.7) and 7-foot-4 center Matt Van Komen (10.6).
Van Komen is coming off a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. He leads Marshall with an average of 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks, good for tops in the Sun Belt Conference and seventh in the nation.
Two Raiders average double-figure scoring — freshman guard Michael Cooper (14.6 points) and graduate forward Michael Imariagbe (11.4). Four other Wright State played at least seven points.
Imariagbe is the Raiders’ top rebounder at six boards per game.
The Raiders lead the Horizon League and rank 40th in the country by allowing an average of 66 points.
Sophomore guard TJ Burch is ninth among Division I players with 29 steals.
Clint Sargent is in his second season as Wright’s State head coach and has a 20-23 record.
Marshall and Wright State have met five previous times and the Herd has a 3-2 series lead. The teams met in mid-December last year and the Raiders walked away with an 86-79 win at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio.