Rhys Owens
11-30-24
On Wednesday night, the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-2) and the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-3) met on the court at the Cam Henderson Center. The Herd was coming off a loss to the #13 ranked Purdue Boilermakers, while the Bulldogs came to town on a two-game win streak.
Despite coming to Huntington on a high note, the Bulldogs would leave with a resounding loss. Marshall took the contest 82-53, getting a big bounce back win before the holiday. The game was close starting off; a series of missed shots and foul trouble from Marshall allowed the Bulldogs to keep it close. However, the Herd would break open the scoring going into halftime with a commanding 46-21 lead.
The Herd didn’t relinquish its lead in the second half, putting on a dominant performance in front of the home crowd. Marshall was led on the night by hometown guard Mikal Dawson, who scored 18 points on 46.2% shooting in just 17 minutes of play. Dawson let it rain, not attempting a single shot inside the three-point line, giving the Herd plenty of range. Distribution for Marshall came at the hands of guard Dezayne Mingo; the Herd shot caller put up 9 points while dishing out another 9 assists to his teammates.
Marshall forward Nate Martin also put on a show, posting a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds while adding a steal and a block to his stat line. Martin’s frontcourt mate, graduate Obinna Anochili-Killen, also came to play, adding 13 points and 2 blocks to the Herd’s stat sheet while shooting a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe.
Marshall was helped with additional scoring from the bench, getting 10 points from guard William Moore and 7 points from forward Wyatt Fricks. The Herd’s win was highlighted by its ability to force tough shots, holding SC State to 32.8% shooting from the field and 18.8% shooting from three.
The Bulldogs struggled on the night; forward Drayton Jones posted an impressive stat line, scoring 10 points with an additional 4 rebounds and a combined 5 steals and blocks. Jones was the only Bulldog able to make it to double figures, making it hard for SC State to stay in the game.
Overall, the Herd put on a good show, pulling away from their opponent despite losing the turnover battle 13-12. The Herd looks to continue its form when they take on old rival Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on November 30th at 8:00 p.m.