Memphis hosts Marshall in C-USA opener

Not much has gone right for Marshall so far this season, as the team currently owns a 2-5 overall record. The Herd was most recently in action on Saturday when it suffered a heart-breaking 84-78 overtime loss to Ohio University. After tonight’s tilt, Marshall will play six straight non-conference games before jumping into a full slate of C-USA contests.

Memphis cruised to a 77-59 victory over Manhattan on Saturday to improve to 5-1 overall. The Tigers have posted three consecutive victories since their only loss, a seven-point setback to a strong Georgia Tech squad.

Memphis holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Marshall, including a 91-81 triumph over the Herd last season.

Marshall trailed Ohio by nine points at halftime on Saturday before fighting back to force overtime. The Thundering Herd fell apart in the extra session, however, connecting only 4-of-12 field goal attempts in the five-minute span. Marshall committed 18 turnovers in the contest and suffered a 38-31 rebounding disadvantage. Most concerning, however, was a 37-12 deficit in points from the foul line. Travis Aikens scored 19 points to lead five double- digit scorers in the loss. Darryl Merthie contributed 16 points off the bench, and Markel Humphrey managed 12 points. Through seven outings, Marshall is scoring 75.0 ppg while allowing 77.3 ppg to its opponents. Aikens is the leading scorer for the Herd, as he is posting 16.1 ppg while also pulling down 6.3 rpg. Humphrey adds 13.7 ppg to the mix, and Mark Dorris is contributing 12.9 ppg.

Four players are scoring in double figures for Memphis, which is racking up 86.0 ppg while limiting opponents to 68.0 ppg on 38.8 percent shooting from the floor. Chris Douglas-Roberts is the top offensive performer for the Tigers, as he is netting 14.8 ppg on 51.6 percent shooting from the field. Jeremy Hunt adds 13.2 ppg to the mix, and Robert Dozier is contributing 12.2 ppg. Antonio Anderson rounds out the group with 11.3 ppg. Dozier came through with 19 points and nine rebounds in the win over Manhattan last time out, and Joey Dorsey managed a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Strong defense was one of the keys to victory, as Memphis managed to limit the Jaspers to 34 percent shooting in the clash while also forcing 26 turnovers. The Tigers could have won by an ever greater margin if not for a 17-of-32 effort from the foul line.