HUNTINGTON - Instead of working its way back into the Conference USA pack, Marshall seemingly plunked rock bottom Wednesday night.
The Thundering Herd was obliterated on the boards and missed shots from every distance in a gruesome 64-48 loss to Alabama-Birmingham. A crowd of 5,124 at Cam Henderson Center was taken out of the game early - then took themselves out of the building early.
They saw the Herd's worst home loss since Feb. 4, 2009 (73-57 to Tulsa), and its lowest home score since falling 68-45 to No. 2 Memphis on Jan. 12, 2008. For the lowest score against a team not named Memphis, you have to go all the way back to a 51-48 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 28, 2004.
But that game was competitive. This was not, from the time the Blazers went on a 19-4 run to take a 25-12 lead.
Marshall (15-9, 3-6) was outplayed in every aspect, but rebounding told the story. The Blazers won that battle 39-23, and the offensive advantage was 14-4.
And it wasn't even that close. The Herd was held to one offensive rebound until the 9:29 mark in the second half, with the Blazers plucking 19 defensive rebounds by then. Needless to say, the Blazers (17-6, 7-3) led by a bunch, 57-40 to be exact.
And needless to say, Marshall coach Tom Herrion was displeased and not afraid to share.
"It's disgusting. Our inability to find a body and block out, it's numbing to me," he said. "In all due respect to UAB - good team and they're very even on the glass, overall - we got manhandled, and it was from beginning to the end. And the glass was a total reflection of how we played."
Accordingly, UAB's 6-foot-10 post player Cameron Moore had a field day with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It was the second game in a row the Herd has yielded a double-double, and the fifth time this season.
Moore was 8-of-16 from the floor and even buried a pair of 3-pointers. Jamarr Sanders hit three long shots to finish with 17 and red-hot Dexter Fields hit three 3s to finish with nine. Aaron Johnson added 10 points and seven assists.
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Blazers humble Herd
Marshall held to lowest home score since '08
HUNTINGTON - Instead of working its way back into the Conference USA pack, Marshall seemingly plunked rock bottom Wednesday night.
The Thundering Herd was obliterated on the boards and missed shots from every distance in a gruesome 64-48 loss to Alabama-Birmingham. A crowd of 5,124 at Cam Henderson Center was taken out of the game early - then took themselves out of the building early.
They saw the Herd's worst home loss since Feb. 4, 2009 (73-57 to Tulsa), and its lowest home score since falling 68-45 to No. 2 Memphis on Jan. 12, 2008. For the lowest score against a team not named Memphis, you have to go all the way back to a 51-48 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 28, 2004.
But that game was competitive. This was not, from the time the Blazers went on a 19-4 run to take a 25-12 lead.
Marshall (15-9, 3-6) was outplayed in every aspect, but rebounding told the story. The Blazers won that battle 39-23, and the offensive advantage was 14-4.
And it wasn't even that close. The Herd was held to one offensive rebound until the 9:29 mark in the second half, with the Blazers plucking 19 defensive rebounds by then. Needless to say, the Blazers (17-6, 7-3) led by a bunch, 57-40 to be exact.
And needless to say, Marshall coach Tom Herrion was displeased and not afraid to share.
"It's disgusting. Our inability to find a body and block out, it's numbing to me," he said. "In all due respect to UAB - good team and they're very even on the glass, overall - we got manhandled, and it was from beginning to the end. And the glass was a total reflection of how we played."
Accordingly, UAB's 6-foot-10 post player Cameron Moore had a field day with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It was the second game in a row the Herd has yielded a double-double, and the fifth time this season.
Moore was 8-of-16 from the floor and even buried a pair of 3-pointers. Jamarr Sanders hit three long shots to finish with 17 and red-hot Dexter Fields hit three 3s to finish with nine. Aaron Johnson added 10 points and seven assists.
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HUNTINGTON - Instead of working its way back into the Conference USA pack, Marshall seemingly plunked rock bottom Wednesday night.
The Thundering Herd was obliterated on the boards and missed shots from every distance in a gruesome 64-48 loss to Alabama-Birmingham. A crowd of 5,124 at Cam Henderson Center was taken out of the game early - then took themselves out of the building early.
They saw the Herd's worst home loss since Feb. 4, 2009 (73-57 to Tulsa), and its lowest home score since falling 68-45 to No. 2 Memphis on Jan. 12, 2008. For the lowest score against a team not named Memphis, you have to go all the way back to a 51-48 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 28, 2004.
But that game was competitive. This was not, from the time the Blazers went on a 19-4 run to take a 25-12 lead.
Marshall (15-9, 3-6) was outplayed in every aspect, but rebounding told the story. The Blazers won that battle 39-23, and the offensive advantage was 14-4.
And it wasn't even that close. The Herd was held to one offensive rebound until the 9:29 mark in the second half, with the Blazers plucking 19 defensive rebounds by then. Needless to say, the Blazers (17-6, 7-3) led by a bunch, 57-40 to be exact.
And needless to say, Marshall coach Tom Herrion was displeased and not afraid to share.
"It's disgusting. Our inability to find a body and block out, it's numbing to me," he said. "In all due respect to UAB - good team and they're very even on the glass, overall - we got manhandled, and it was from beginning to the end. And the glass was a total reflection of how we played."
Accordingly, UAB's 6-foot-10 post player Cameron Moore had a field day with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It was the second game in a row the Herd has yielded a double-double, and the fifth time this season.
Moore was 8-of-16 from the floor and even buried a pair of 3-pointers. Jamarr Sanders hit three long shots to finish with 17 and red-hot Dexter Fields hit three 3s to finish with nine. Aaron Johnson added 10 points and seven assists.
The Blazers only outshot the Herd 45 percent to 41.7 percent, but that, too, was deceptive. For starters, UAB squeezed off 60 shots to Marshall's 48, thanks in part to the Herd's many single-shot possessions.
Damier Pitts was the Herd's only dependable scoring threat, hitting 8-of-13 shots for 19 points. The rest of the team was 12-of-35, and the Herd hit just 2-of-14 from 3-point range.
"It really surprised me that they didn't make the shots early," said UAB coach Mike Davis. "And I think it really surprised them as well, and they were searching for somebody to make a shot, no matter what they called.
"I thought we bothered them a little bit defensively, but we also hurt them by only giving them one offensive rebound in the first half. That's unheard of, because [Tirrell] Baines is a walking double-double every time we play these guys."
The Herd did get the halftime margin down to eight points at 35-27, and Pitts scored the Herd's first four points of the second half to whittle that to 35-31. But Baines was way short with a turnaround jumper and UAB quickly answered with a 17-6 run to put it away.
Shortly afterward, the Herd suffered the ignominy of a missed Nigel Spikes dunk. UAB then stretched the lead to 22 points, 64-42.
"I don't coach effort; now I am," Herrion said. "That's really eating at me right now."
BRIEFLY: The arraignment for Shaquille Johnson and DeAndre Kane on their misdemeanor battery charges was set for 9 a.m. March 9 - the day the Conference USA tournament opens in El Paso, Texas. The two were given a summons over a Jan. 30 incident outside a Huntington bar. One would bet on a continuance ... Bizarre stat: Marshall committed just six fouls and UAB was whistled for 11. There were nine free throws. ... Fields is 17-of-29 from 3-point range over the last four games. ... Pitts snapped out of an 18-for-60 slump over the previous five games.
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Blazers humble Herd
Marshall held to lowest home score since '08
HUNTINGTON - Instead of working its way back into the Conference USA pack, Marshall seemingly plunked rock bottom Wednesday night.
The Thundering Herd was obliterated on the boards and missed shots from every distance in a gruesome 64-48 loss to Alabama-Birmingham. A crowd of 5,124 at Cam Henderson Center was taken out of the game early - then took themselves out of the building early.
They saw the Herd's worst home loss since Feb. 4, 2009 (73-57 to Tulsa), and its lowest home score since falling 68-45 to No. 2 Memphis on Jan. 12, 2008. For the lowest score against a team not named Memphis, you have to go all the way back to a 51-48 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 28, 2004.
But that game was competitive. This was not, from the time the Blazers went on a 19-4 run to take a 25-12 lead.
Marshall (15-9, 3-6) was outplayed in every aspect, but rebounding told the story. The Blazers won that battle 39-23, and the offensive advantage was 14-4.
And it wasn't even that close. The Herd was held to one offensive rebound until the 9:29 mark in the second half, with the Blazers plucking 19 defensive rebounds by then. Needless to say, the Blazers (17-6, 7-3) led by a bunch, 57-40 to be exact.
And needless to say, Marshall coach Tom Herrion was displeased and not afraid to share.
"It's disgusting. Our inability to find a body and block out, it's numbing to me," he said. "In all due respect to UAB - good team and they're very even on the glass, overall - we got manhandled, and it was from beginning to the end. And the glass was a total reflection of how we played."
Accordingly, UAB's 6-foot-10 post player Cameron Moore had a field day with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It was the second game in a row the Herd has yielded a double-double, and the fifth time this season.
Moore was 8-of-16 from the floor and even buried a pair of 3-pointers. Jamarr Sanders hit three long shots to finish with 17 and red-hot Dexter Fields hit three 3s to finish with nine. Aaron Johnson added 10 points and seven assists.
