— By Bill Cornwell
Free-throw shooting and defensive breakdowns led to disappointment within Marshall after the Herd suffered its second home loss this season on Wednesday against Coastal Carolina, 85-83.
The Herd hopes to move forward from that result come 4 p.m. Saturday when it welcomes James Madison to Henderson Center for a contest that can be seen on ESPN+.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season after Marshall (11-7, 3-3) won in Harrisonburg, Virginia, 64-62, back on January 7.
Marshall head coach Cornelius Jackson says that two hard days of practice could get his team turned around and playing better basketball on both ends of the floor.
“No one is going to feel sorry for us,” Jackson said. “We have to watch the film, get better and come back to prepare for James Madison. We have to do a better job of protecting the home court.”
Slow starts have been problematic for Marshall, and then forces the Herd to expend an abundance of energy while trying to catch up. A 13-point deficit in the first half against the Chanticleers proved pivotal in the outcome.
“Let’s not put ourselves in a hole and then have an urgency to come back,” Jackson said. “That takes a lot out of us. Again, all you can ask for is a chance.”
Noah Otshudi, who scored a game-high 30 points last time out, is one of three Marshall players averaging double-figure scoring at 14.4 points per game. Wyatt Fricks has an identical average and both trail the team’s leading scorer, guard Jalen Speer, who averages 14.7 points.
Center Matt Van Komen stands 7-foot-4 and is coming off a 13-rebound effort. Van Komen leads the Herd with 7.2 boards per game.
The Dukes (9-9, 2-4) also enter off a loss, having been defeated Thursday at Appalachian State, 80-65. Cliff Davis scored 15 points to lead JMU in a losing effort.
Junior forward Justin McBride leads the Dukes at 17.1 points. Fifth-year guard Bradley Douglas follows at 13 and Davis averages 12.1 points.
Junior forward Eddie Ricks III, who followed JMU coach Preston Spradlin from Morehead State, is the Dukes top rebounder at 6.3 boards.
JMU was atop the Sun Belt Preseason Poll this season, but has struggled thus far. The Dukes’ longest win streak is three games, while they’ve yet to win consecutive contests in the SBC.
The Dukes have been involved in a number of close contests, including their first with Marshall. They’ve also lost by four points in overtime against Georgia Southern, defeated Arkansas State by four and topped Old Dominion 70-69 for its most recent win.
After Saturday’s game, Marshall remains home next week for games against Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday at 7pm and against South Alabama on Saturday at 4pm.
JMU is 8-4 all-time against Marshall.