— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — At half, Marshall had made one three in 14 tries. Not good for the top long range shooting team in the Sun Belt Conference.
Opponent Southern Mississippi, meanwhile held a 38-34 lead at the break largely on the strength of its six first-half triples. Not bad for one of the worst shooting teams from behind the arc in the league.
The second half was a far different story for both the Thundering Herd and Golden Eagles. Marshall went 7 for 9 from three over the final 20 minutes, while the visitors struggled from the outside as the game wore on while facing a zone, which slowed Southern Miss enough for the Herd to muster an 81-77 victory inside Cam Henderson Center.
While Marshall’s bench was instrumental in Saturday’s 70-61 win at Arkansas State, the team’s offensive catalysts were far better against the Golden Eagles.
Wyatt Fricks scored 25 points one game after totaling 6, and guard Jalen Speer finished with 15 points and eight assists one game after dishing out eight assists but shooting 0 for 7 and being held scoreless.
“Coming back to Huntington, I didn’t know Jalen didn’t score,” Herd head coach Corny Jackson said. “He had eight assists. We got the win. They’re unselfish. They do whatever it takes to win. They had it going and we didn’t have to go to the bench as much.
“Was big to be down four shooting the way we did the first half with one three. We were taking good shots, but not making them. Other than two or three, they weren’t bad shots. Can’t get nervous if you miss a few. Made seven the second half. We knew it’d be a tough game, not a walk in the park. Whoever makes plays and makes free throws wins. Protect home court and we did.”
Earlier Wednesday, after the shoot-around, Speer stayed behind and got in extra work.
“People don’t see that,” Jackson said.
“Let’s keep it going,” Speer said. “That’s how we end up with the win. My shots weren’t dropping early. Had to figure things out. Got some rebounds and did other things. Got to find a way to get it sooner.”
Marshall (15-8, 7-4 Sun Belt) trailed 51-46 with 12:45 left when Djahi Binet connected on a three. From that point, Marshall started to turn the tide in its favor. Fricks drained a three from the corner with 11:31 on the clock to give the Herd the lead for good at 52-51.
“I thought the guys stepped up,” Jackson said. “If you look at the numbers, they’re big. That’s what good teams do. Find ways to will the win.”
With 3 minutes left, Erich Harding made 1-of-2 free throws to put the Herd up 72-62.
Southern Miss (12-13, 6-7) wouldn’t go away. The Golden Eagles got the deficit to 78-75 on a Binet follow with 18 seconds left. After a Herd turnover, Israel Hart got off a three to tie and missed, but Dylan Brumfield got the rebound and scored to make it 78-77.
The visitors quickly fouled and sent the Herd’s Noah Otshudi to the foul line. He made the first, missed the second and Southern Miss knocked the ball out of bounds. Otshudi got fouled again with 0.2 on the clock and sank both free throws to ice the win.
“We gave them the formula,” Jackson said. “They decided to make plays.”
Wednesday’s game proved physical as the teams combined for 47 fouls. The Golden Eagles piled up 25 to 22 for the Herd.
“Almost every game in the Sun Belt is physical,” Fricks said. “They pressure you. We’ve got to handle it a little bit better. They took away some things. We got the win and that’s what matters.”
The Herd played its share of zone defense and their execution caused the Eagles to cool off until late.
“They hit some threes,” Jackson said. “Had the zone press and got back in the zone in the second half. Had them trying to figure it out. A big change in the rhythm of the game.”
Binet led Southern Miss with 31 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added 15 rebounds. He also went 12 of 12 at the foul line. Hart and Brumfield each scored 11 and Curt Lewis 10. Tylik Weeks, third in the Sun Belt in scoring at 17.8 points, was held to four points on one field goal and turned it over six times.
Next up is a home game Saturday against national-ranked and unbeaten Miami Ohio (23-0) in the back half of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Challenge. Start time is 4 p.m., and a sellout is expected.
“We have the best fans in the Sun Belt,” Jackson said. “Tell them I said it. Now I can talk about the next game. Didn’t before because this was the next game and a league game. We have a huge opportunity. They’re coming to our house. It’s big for our program.”