Jan. 3, 2009

Box Score

Marshall at San Diego Game Book

SAN DIEGO - After finding itself down 31 points in the second half, Marshall forged a valiant comeback attempt late in the game to get to within seven points of San Diego, but the Toreros held on for an 80-70 victory over the Thundering Herd men's basketball team Friday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Marshall (7-6) scored just 17 first-half points and faced its largest deficit of the season, 31 points, under the eight-minute mark of the second half before surging back against the defending West Coast Conference champion Toreros (8-7). The Herd used swarming defense, an attacking offense and clutch free-throw shooting to get back to single digits, but the clock eventually ran out on Donnie Jones' squad.

Marshall junior forward Tyler Wilkerson, who was back in the starting lineup after a two-game hiatus to the bench, scored a game-high 22 points and tied a career-high with 15 rebounds. Wilkerson nailed Marshall's first field goal attempt 47 seconds into the game. He followed his opening 14-foot jumper with a pair of close-range field goals within the contest's first three-plus minutes as the game was tied at 8-8 at the first media timeout.

Herd guard Darryl Merthie was fouled on a 3-point attempt at 9:55 and hit all three free throw attempts to put Marshall down 14-13, but USD's Trumaine Johnson answered with a trey from the top of the key. Wilkerson responded with another inside bucket for a 17-15 MU deficit, but the Toreros went on a 22-2 run to end the half and enter intermission up 39-17.

The Toreros held Marshall scoreless for six straight minutes during the half-ending run. USD's all-time leading scorer Gyno Pomare scored six of USD's 15 points during the run while Rob Jones netted four points.

Only four Marshall players got in the scoring column in the first half, led by 10 points by Wilkerson. The Herd shot just 29.2 percent in the first 20 minutes and went 0-for-10 from 3-point range with eight turnovers. San Diego, meanwhile, shot a sizzling 61.5 percent and went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc with just two turnovers.

Pomare matched Wilkerson with 10 first-half points. T. Johnson scored nine points in the first stanza on the strength of a 3-for-4 mark from 3-point range.

The Herd grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first half, but posted zero second-chance points. MU's 17 first-half points were its lowest since scoring 21 in the opening frame at UAB on Feb. 2, 2008.

Jones put an entirely different starting lineup on the floor for the Herd to begin the second half. Merthie, Shaquille Johnson, Adam Williams, Dago Pena and Kore White started the second 20 minutes of the game.

USD's first three scoring plays of the second half were all of the three-point variety - two bucket plus a foul opportunities by Pomare sandwiched around a Devin Ginty 3-pointer. Marshall answered with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 48-26, but USD bumped its lead to 30 points minutes later.

Down 31 points with 7:12 remaining, Marshall ended the game on a 33-12 push that at one point closed the USD lead to seven points with 52 seconds remaining. MU point guard Damier Pitts scored 12 points during the Herd's late surge along with seven points apiece by S. Johnson and Pena.

Pitts went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and scored 14 points in the game - all in the second half. Pitts ended the contest with five assists while Pena netted 10 points and S. Johnson posted 11 points.

Pena's 3-pointer with just over three minutes remaining put Marshall within 15 points and back-to-back 3-pointers by S. Johnson crept MU to within seven points. The large deficit proved to be too much for the Herd to overcome and USD got revenge for its 16-point loss in Huntington a year ago.

USD cooperated with Marshall's comeback bid by missing 14 free throws in the second half. The Toreros shot 61.1 percent from the line (22-of-36) while Marshall went 21-for-27 (77.8 percent).

Marshall starters Chris Lutz, Tirrell Baines and Markel Humphrey combined for only 15 minutes of playing time in the second half and four points overall. Reserve forward Kore White grabbed two rebounds and scored two points in seven minutes off the bench.

Pomare scored a team-high 20 points for San Diego and Jones registered 13 points. The Toreros shot 57.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from 3-point range.

The Herd will enter league play in its next outing, Jan. 7 at defending Conference USA champion Memphis, from the FedExForum at 9 p.m. ET.