Rhys Owens
12-15-24
This past Saturday, the Marshall Thundering Herd Men’s Basketball Team took on the Ohio Bobcats in a classic rivalry game at the Cam Henderson Center. Marshall (5-5) came into the game off a road loss against Wright State, while the Bobcats (4-5) came to town after an impressive home win over Morehead State.
The Herd were quick to lead despite foul trouble in the first half. Marshall took a 41-33 lead into halftime and expanded it after play resumed. The game would finish in favor of the Herd, who took down Jeff Boals and the Bobcats, 79-70.
Mikal Dawson led the way for the Herd; he was the game’s highest scorer, putting up 27 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the field. Dawson had a field day from beyond the arc putting up nine threes and making six of them, including a steal and buzzer-beater three to end the first half.
Obinna Anochili-Killen bolstered the Herd’s frontcourt, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 defensive rebounds while shooting 71% from the field. Jalen Speer added to Marshall’s stat sheet, scoring 12 points while getting in between the lanes and grabbing two steals.
Dezayne Mingo and Wyatt Fricks helped to propel the Herd to victory. Mingo scored nine points, seven of which came at the charity stripe. While Fricks scored six points, four of his points came on cuts to the basket resulting in some strong dunks.
Despite a valiant effort from Ohio players AJ Clayton and AJ Brown, who put up 16 and 22 points, respectively, the Bobcats could not get the job, falling to 4-6. With the win, the Herd improve to 6-5 and are looking forward to its in-state clash against West Virginia Wesleyan on the 16th of December at 7:00 pm.