Ohio thunderstruck by Marshall

by Bill Bender and Eric Pfahler
Staff Writers

The fans belittled the referees and Marshall bombarded the Bobcats.

The Thundering Herd pummeled the Ohio men's basketball team Saturday afternoon, defeating the Bobcats 90-71 in front of a ruthless crowd of 9,016 at Henderson Arena.

Marshall (15-8, 9-6 Mid-American Conference), led by six players scoring in double figures, used a large run in each half to put the Bobcats away. The win ended the Herd's two-game losing streak.

Ohio coach Larry Hunter said Marshall's offense powered the team.

"We never stopped them consistently," Hunter said. "They kept making shots, and we did not."

The Bobcats buried shots in the early stages. Ohio (14-9, 9-5) started the game with a 9-5 lead, led by forward Jon Sanderson's seven points in the first four minutes.

Marshall responded with a 12-0 run, highlighted by Travis Young's three-point basket. The Herd held a 17-9 lead.

Despite leading scorer Brandon Hunter's early foul trouble, Marshall's top scoring threat, Tamar Slay, neutralized the problem when he picked up his second foul. Slay sat out for all but six minutes in the first half, but Joda Burgess stepped in.

The reserve guard hit four three-pointers in the first half, including two in the final four minutes.

Marshall also dominated the glass early, outrebounding the Bobcats 23 to 12 in the first half, including a nine-to-one advantage on the offensive glass.

Back-to-back three pointers by Burgess and guard Cornelius Jackson extended Marshall's lead to 52-38 at the half. The situation looked similar to the 13-point halftime lead the Herd had against Ohio on Feb. 3 at The Convo. The Bobcats rallied to win that game 77-71.

Slay said the team focused on not having another second-half collapse.

"Everyone was ready to play tonight," Slay said. "But when we came in at halftime, I let everyone know we had 20 minutes left to play."

Slay opened the second half with a three-pointer. Marshall extended the lead to 75-47 with a 23-9 run. Slay capped the run with a steal and a one-handed slam that ignited the crowd and extinguished the Bobcats.

Despite seven points off the bench from forward Shaun McVicker, Ohio's shooting woes continued. The Bobcats shot just 33 percent in the second half.

Sanderson led Ohio with 12 points. Patrick Flomo and Anthony Jones added 10 apiece. Steve Esterkamp paced the team with 10 rebounds. Marshall limited Brandon Hunter, who averages 17.1 ppg and 9.8 rebounds, to just seven points and two rebounds.

Jackson led Marshall with 18 points, also adding six rebounds, five assists, and four steals for the Herd. Slay put in17 points.

Jackson said the team did not want to lose three in a row.

"We had our backs against the wall," Jackson said. "We gave a great effort and clicked very well today."

Larry Hunter said Marshall had the right answers, while the Bobcats struggled.

"We played, but we didn't play smart," Hunter said. "But you win as a team and lose as a team, and today we lost as a team."

Ohio hopes to rebound against Buffalo at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Convo.