March 16, 2010

Marshall holds off Western Carolina

Box Score


HUNTINGTON, W.Va.--Damier Pitts sank a pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining lifted past Marshall (24-9) past Western Carolina (22-12) 90-88 in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Mar. 16 in the Henderson Center. The Catamounts battled back from 10-point deficit with 2:21 remaining to tie the score 88-88 on a Brandon Giles three-point basket with six seconds to go. The Herd advanced the ball to midcourt where Harounda Mutombo forced Tyler Wilkerson turnover. The ensuing scrum over the ball resulted in Mutombo being credited with the steal, but he called a timeout as time expired.

However Western Carolina spent their allotment of five timeouts earlier in the contest. After a conference in which the referees consulted the replay monitor. The referees put 0.5 seconds on the clock, but issued a technical foul. Pitts, who connected on 13-of-15 free throws earlier in the game, made both, giving Marshall the lead. The Catamounts were awarded the timeout. Western Carolina got the ball to Giles who attempted a long three-pointer which fell short, pushing the Herd to the victory.

Pitts tied his own Henderson Center record with 15 made free throws. The 5-10 point guard scored a career high 24 points. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. Dago Pena was 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range for 18 points. Darryl Merthie tied his season high with 14 points. Merthie added six rebounds and three assists. Tirrell Baines charted 11 points.

Jake Robinson scored 15 of his 21 points in the final 3:46 of the game including four three-pointers. Giles scored 13 points while Richie Gordon also scored 13. Mutombo and Mike Williams posted 10 points. Marshall held a 48-12 advantage from the free throw line. The Herd made 34-of-48 attempts from the charity stripe compared to 9-of-12 for the Catamounts.

"What a good team in Western Carolina," said Marshall head coach Donnie Jones. "Give (Western) credit, but we couldn't get stops down the stretch. We weren't playing with energy. Western Carolina was out playing us, out scrapping us and out competing us. We were just trying to find five guys that wanted to play hard. I thought Darryl played terrific off the bench for us and made big shots down the stretch. But they scored eight straight times. Give them credit because they made tough shots. It is the exact same thing they did against Louisville to get that win. We got fortunate to win with that call. As a coach, you hate to lose that way. But you also hate to win that way in such a fine played game. But give the refs credit because they did make the gutsy call, which was the right call. It happened right in front of our bench with time left on the clock."

Marshall University's Athletic Ticket Office will put tickets on sale for the Thundering Herd's Monday, March 22nd CIT quarterfinal game for basketball season ticket holders who did not already purchase their seats for the CIT Tournament on Wednesday, March 17th at 8:30 a.m. Season ticket holders for the 2009-10 men's basketball season who did not complete the original order registration form to reserve their season seats for the CIT have the opportunity to do so by phone or by stopping by the Cam Henderson Center Box Office on Wednesday only. This commitment will allow current season ticket holders to reserve their seats for Monday's quarterfinal game and any additional games that Marshall could host in the CIT.

Season ticket holders who completed the original post-season form have already reserved their seats for the remaining rounds and will be charged accordingly. Tickets will not go on sale to the general public until 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 18. All remaining tickets not reserved by season ticket holders will be available for sale at the time. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets by visiting www.HerdZone.com and by clicking on the ticket link. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 800-THE-HERD of by visiting the Cam Henderson Center Box Office. Tickets are $20 for lower bowl seats, $11 for upper chair back seats, and $10 for general admission seats. Tickets that are purchased online or by phone can be picked up in the ticket office during regular business hours or at the upper concourse level Will Call starting one hour prior to tip off.

The quarterfinals of the CIT will be determined later this week.