Huntington, WV - (Dec. 18) Sophomore Tamar Slay scored 21
points and grabbed seven boards to lead the Thundering
Herd to a 89-79 win over Georgia in front of a season-best 5,530
fans at the Henderson Center on Saturday. Marshall is now
7-0, the program's best start since the 1994-95 season.
The Herd trailed in the early going, 7-2, but came back to take a 11-10 lead. The score would see-see, but a J.R. VanHoose layup with 11:58 left in the first half put Marshall up for good. The Herd took a 50-44 lead into intermission.
Georgia opened the second half in a zone defense, slowing the Herd for several possessions. The Bulldogs cut the lead to one with 17:49 remaining, but eight minutes later Marshall had a 15-point lead, its largest of the game.
Marshall was outshot .652-.500 and outrebounded 31-23, but the defense forced 24 Bulldog turnovers to overcome the differences.
Slay scored his 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including four three-pointers. The 6-8 guard from Beckley, WV, also dished out
four assists, including a behind-the-back pass to Marques Evans with only two seconds remaining on the shot clock. That basket gave the Herd an eight-point lead, and Marshall would make four straight free throws down the stretch.
Sophomore center J.R. VanHoose scored 20 points and hauled in seven boards. Junior Cornelius Jackson scored 19 points on 8-of-15 from the floor, while dripping six dimes
and making five steals. Junior Joda Burgess came off the bench
to score 14 points, 12 of which came from behind the arc
(4-of-6). Senior Derrick Wright played solid defensively,
grabbing five rebounds and making five steals.
D.A. Layne led the Bulldogs with 24 points, including five threes. Anthony Evans hit for 16, while Adrian Jones tallied 13 points and 10 assists. Ryan Lewis also scored in
double figures with 10.