— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall players were all smiles Monday night falling an impressive effort in a 92-65 season-opening win over Buffalo as part of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Challenge at the Cam Henderson Center.
Marshall never trailed, and four Thundering Herd players scored in double-figures and newcomer Emmanuel Manyoun recorded a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds in his debut.
Thundering Herd head coach Cornelius Jackson liked the offensive effort, but perhaps not as much as what Marshall accomplished on the other end.
“I was impressed with our defense on Monday,” Jackson said. “We got some stops, got some rebounds and ran it out to play with pace and space.”
Another challenge from a MAC opponent awaits in the team’s second contest come 2 p.m. Saturday when Marshall welcomes Toledo in a matchup that can be seen on ESPN+.
This is the 11th consecutive season the two programs have clashed.
Of the six games in Huntington during that span, three have gone to overtime. Marshall won last season’s meeting in Toledo, 85-72, though the Rockets are 40-25 in the all-time series.
Toledo (0-2) is eager to break into the win column after suffering a 71-70 loss in Monday’s opener to SBC member Arkansas State and then beating handled, 91-61, Thursday at sixth-ranked Michigan State.
The Rockets shot 33 percent (19 for 57) and struggled mightily to rebound against Michigan State, with the Spartans controlling the glass, 52-27.
Head coach Tod Kowalczyk is in his 17th season with Toledo and ranks fifth all-time in the MAC with 315 victories.
The Rockets were picked to finish second in the MAC behind Miami Ohio I the league’s preseason poll, while Sean Jones and Austin Parks in the always-challenging MAC, behind only Miami (Ohio) as the league favorites. Sean Jones and Austin Parks were named to the Preseason All-MAC second team.
The 6-foot-10 Parks played in the opener, but missed the matchup against Michigan State, and the lack of his presence was felt.
Marshall has a quick turnaround for its first road game, which comes at 6 p.m. Monday at Ohio State.