— By Bill Cornwell
For this stage of the season, the stakes could hardly be higher.
First place in the Sun Belt Conference is up for grabs Thursday when Marshall clashes with Appalachian State at the Holmes Convocation Center. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. and the contest can be seen on ESPN+.
The Thundering Herd (17-10, 9-5) stayed in the thick of the Sun Belt race Monday when they hung on to defeat South Alabama 84-80 in a makeup contest from a previously scheduled matchup that was postponed January 24.
Appalachian State (18-10, 10-5) lost Saturday at James Madison, 69-58, a result that brought an end to the Mountaineers’ seven-game win streak.
Appalachian State is tied with Troy atop the Sun Belt, a half game ahead of the Herd and South Alabama. The Trojans slipped by UL Monroe 77-76 on Wednesday night to create the time for the time being.
Marshall is seeking a regular season sweep in the series after defeating the Mountaineers 88-81 on January 3. In that contest, Herd guard Jalen Speer scored 21 points.
After Monday’s win over South Alabama, Herd senior Wyatt Fricks feels Marshall in good position with four regular season games remaining.
“We know what’s at stake,” Fricks said. “It’s coming down to the end of the season and you either want to win or go home.”
Graduate guard Kasen Jennings leads the Mountaineers in scoring with an average of 15.3 points. Senior guard Alonzo Dodd (13.6) and sophomore Luke Wilson (10.2) follow.
Wilson is a major inside presence and leads the squad at 7.9 rebounds per game along with 52 blocked shots. Rebounding has been a strength for Appalachian State, which is almost plus-5 in margin on average.
The free-throw line has been an area of concern, with the Mountaineers hitting at only a 62.6 percent clip.
Marshall’s scoring numbers remain consistent with the three leading scorers closely matched — Fricks (15.4), Speer (14.7) and guard Noah Otshudi (14.3).
Fricks leads in rebounding among active players with 5.8 boards. Leading rebounder Matt Van Komen averages 7.6 but hasn’t played for two weeks as he rehabs from an ankle injury suffered at Arkansas State.
The Herd made 18 three-pointers against South Alabama and continues to excel in that area with a team percentage of 36.9.
Following Thursday’s game, Marshall plays its final road contest this season Saturday at Coastal Carolina.
Marshall is 37-20 in its all-time series with Appalachian State.