03-09-2018, 12:18 PM
FRISCO, Texas - Juniors Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks and Ajdin Penava combined for 67 points, 24 rebounds and 14 assists to help the Marshall Thundering Herd menâs basketball team advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament for the third consecutive year, as it defeated the UTSA Roadrunners, 95-81, on Thursday evening at the Ford Center.
âI thought we shot the ball really well, especially early,â head coach Dan DâAntoni said. âWe made a lot of mental mistakes. Sometimes we are a home run-hitting team, but that needs to carry over when we go for bunts and singles. That was a good game. Anytime you get into the tournament and win a ball game, thatâs good. Iâm proud of these kids. We got to put Marshall on TV for a little bit. It was fun and we enjoyed it. At my age, games like this keep me young.â
With the win, the Herd improved to 22-10, while the Roadrunners dropped to 18-14. The 95 points were tied for the eighth-most in a C-USA tournament game.
Burks led all scorers with 29 points, while his nine rebounds were a career-high. Burks made nine field goals, two 3-pointers and a career-high and perfect nine free throws. Jon Elmore had his eight double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 assists. Elmoreâs 11 assists were one shy of the C-USA Tournament single-game record. The last player to record 11 assists in the tournament was UTEPâs Jacques Streeter in 2013 against Houston.
Penavaâs 23 points and 12 rebounds gave the junior his 14th double-double of the season. UTSAâs Byron Frohnen had his second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
âA big part of the game is making free throws,â Burks said. âCoach stresses that a lot every day, so we try to put that into practice. When we miss free throws that gives other teams a chance to come back down the stretch.â
Three-pointers were the tale of the first half, as Marshall made 7-of-15 (46.7 percent), while it held UTSA to just 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) from behind the arc. After UTSA cut the Herdâs lead to 29-20 with 7:18 left, Marshall went on a 17-8 run to give MU a 46-28 lead with 3:20 left. UTSA went on a run of its own and cut the deficit, but the Herd had a 52-41 lead going into halftime.
Burks led all scorers with 18 points at the break, while Elmore contributed 3 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Penava added 10 points and six rebounds. The Roadrunnersâ Bryon Frohnen led his team with 12 points and seven rebounds.
âPerformances like this begin with being locked in,â Burks said. âThe coaching staff did a great job preparing us for the game and we came out with the right energy to win the game like this.â
A cold shooting stretch, which saw the Herd shoot 1-of-7 over a span of 2:15 allowed UTSA to cut Marshallâs lead to 74-69 with 6:39 left. The teams battled for the rest of the contest, but two free throws from Elmore gave the Herd an 86-77 lead with 1:38 left in the game. UTSA was not able to overcome and the Herd advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive year.
The Herd finished the game shooting 45 percent (27-of-60) from FGs, 36 percent (9-of-25) from three-pointers and 84.2 percent (32-of-38) from the charity stripe. The Herd had 37 rebounds and 18 assists. UTSA won the battles in the paint, 36-26, points off turnovers, 13-11, second chance points, 14-6, fast break points, 9-6, and points from the bench, 15-9.
Up next, the Herd will play the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports.
For all the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android.
http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-baskbl/...18aab.html
âI thought we shot the ball really well, especially early,â head coach Dan DâAntoni said. âWe made a lot of mental mistakes. Sometimes we are a home run-hitting team, but that needs to carry over when we go for bunts and singles. That was a good game. Anytime you get into the tournament and win a ball game, thatâs good. Iâm proud of these kids. We got to put Marshall on TV for a little bit. It was fun and we enjoyed it. At my age, games like this keep me young.â
With the win, the Herd improved to 22-10, while the Roadrunners dropped to 18-14. The 95 points were tied for the eighth-most in a C-USA tournament game.
Burks led all scorers with 29 points, while his nine rebounds were a career-high. Burks made nine field goals, two 3-pointers and a career-high and perfect nine free throws. Jon Elmore had his eight double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 assists. Elmoreâs 11 assists were one shy of the C-USA Tournament single-game record. The last player to record 11 assists in the tournament was UTEPâs Jacques Streeter in 2013 against Houston.
Penavaâs 23 points and 12 rebounds gave the junior his 14th double-double of the season. UTSAâs Byron Frohnen had his second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
âA big part of the game is making free throws,â Burks said. âCoach stresses that a lot every day, so we try to put that into practice. When we miss free throws that gives other teams a chance to come back down the stretch.â
Three-pointers were the tale of the first half, as Marshall made 7-of-15 (46.7 percent), while it held UTSA to just 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) from behind the arc. After UTSA cut the Herdâs lead to 29-20 with 7:18 left, Marshall went on a 17-8 run to give MU a 46-28 lead with 3:20 left. UTSA went on a run of its own and cut the deficit, but the Herd had a 52-41 lead going into halftime.
Burks led all scorers with 18 points at the break, while Elmore contributed 3 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Penava added 10 points and six rebounds. The Roadrunnersâ Bryon Frohnen led his team with 12 points and seven rebounds.
âPerformances like this begin with being locked in,â Burks said. âThe coaching staff did a great job preparing us for the game and we came out with the right energy to win the game like this.â
A cold shooting stretch, which saw the Herd shoot 1-of-7 over a span of 2:15 allowed UTSA to cut Marshallâs lead to 74-69 with 6:39 left. The teams battled for the rest of the contest, but two free throws from Elmore gave the Herd an 86-77 lead with 1:38 left in the game. UTSA was not able to overcome and the Herd advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive year.
The Herd finished the game shooting 45 percent (27-of-60) from FGs, 36 percent (9-of-25) from three-pointers and 84.2 percent (32-of-38) from the charity stripe. The Herd had 37 rebounds and 18 assists. UTSA won the battles in the paint, 36-26, points off turnovers, 13-11, second chance points, 14-6, fast break points, 9-6, and points from the bench, 15-9.
Up next, the Herd will play the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports.
For all the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android.
http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-baskbl/...18aab.html