HUNTINGTON, W.V. - Trey Freeman led three Monarchs in double-figures with 20, but it wasn’t enough as Marshall (15-12, 11-3 C-USA) took down Old Dominion (15-12, 8-6 C-USA) by an 82-65 score at Henderson Center in front of a crowd of 8,520 on Saturday night. The 8,520 total fans is the most for a Marshall home game in five years. The Thundering Herd have now won four straight.
Also in double-digits for the Monarchs were Brandan Stith with 18 points (7-12 FG and 4-5 FT) to compliment seven boards, as well as freshman Zoran Talley, who went for 12 points and five rebounds. Old Dominion held a 38-24 advantage for points in the paint for the ballgame.
The Thundering Herd were led by Ryan Taylor’s double-double (23 points and 12 rebounds). Also in double-figures for Marshall were James Kelly (18 points and seven rebounds) and Stevie Browning (18 points and seven rebounds). The Herd never trailed in the second half, as they connected on 57.7% of its field-goal attempts. Marshall held a 20-4 advantage for points off turnovers.
Old Dominion trailed Marshall, 48-38, with 15:28 to play in the second half, before cutting its deficit to six, 48-42, at the 13:13 mark. The Thundering Herd scored the next five points to take a 53-42 advantage, but the Monarchs answered right back on a 4-0 run to cut its deficit to 53-46 with 11:36 remaining in regulation.
After trailing 58-48, ODU scored the next four points to bring the count to 58-52 with 10 minutes to play. The Thundering Herd extended their lead to 73-58 with 4:27 left in the second half, before claiming their largest lead of the game of 17 to finish off the Monarchs. Marshall connected on 23 of its final 36 attempts from the floor.
Both teams struggled out of the gates shooting, as Old Dominion was 3-13 (23.1%) from the floor to start the game, while Marshall went 1-10 (10%), bringing the score to 6-6 at the 11:30 mark of the first half.
With 5:45 remaining in the opening half, the score was all tied up at 16-16. The score remained even at the last media timeout of the first half, 22-22, at the 3:50 mark.
Marshall ended the first half on a 12-4 run to claim a 34-26 lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime. The first half experienced a total of eight lead changes, as well as eight ties. Trey Freeman scored a team-high 12 points, while Marshall’s Ryan Taylor netted a half-high 13 points. The Monarchs held a 16-8 for points in the paint.
TICKETS (Single Game)
Adult Lower Bowl - $17
Adult Club - $31
Military/Seniors/Youth/Faculty Staff - $15
Group pricing available by calling Todd McKeating at 757-683-7087
WHAT A DEAL! - VOUCHER BOOKS
Get 10 tickets to use at any home ODU basketball games during the 2015-16 regular season. Use them all at one game to bring family and friends, or spread them out over the season. The choice is yours! The price is $120 for a men’s basketball voucher book. That’s a $50 savings over purchasing at the ticket window. Purchase now at www.ynottix.com.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For a more in-depth look into the men’s basketball program, be sure to follow @ODUMBB on Twitter and ‘ODU Basketball’ on Facebook!