HUNTINGTON - Marshall's free-throw maladies gave Texas-El Paso's Stefon Jackson a chance to shine the brightest in front of his family and friends.
HUNTINGTON - Marshall's free-throw maladies gave Texas-El Paso's Stefon Jackson a chance to shine the brightest in front of his family and friends.
Playing the closest he'll come to his Philadelphia home this season, Conference USA's leading scorer hit the go-ahead shot with 10.7 seconds left in UTEP's 79-76 victory over Marshall Wednesday night. Those were the final two of his 28 points, about five above his average.
A crowd of 4,638 at Cam Henderson Center saw the Thundering Herd's three-game winning streak snapped as the Miners won their first league road game.
In a game featuring 13 ties and 23 lead changes, the Herd inflicted a lot of its own damage. Marshall committed 16 turnovers and went 19-of-32 from the line. Four of the six misses came in the final 2:58, keeping the Miners alive.
And, ultimately, sending Marshall from fifth to a tie for seventh place in the C-USA pack.
"We had our opportunity, missed 13 free throws," said Marshall coach Donnie Jones. "When you play a team that's very talented like that and can score, you've got to make free throws and make plays."
Tyler Wilkerson led the Herd with 18 points, and his free throw tied the game at 75 with 2:58 left. Darryl Merthie hit one of two free throws at 2:26, giving the Herd its last lead at 76-75.
The teams misfired until Merthie drew a foul, heading to the line with 25.9 seconds left. This time he missed both, opening the door for the Miners to seize the contest.
Which Jackson did, as he cut across the foul circle and popped in one of his patented pull-up jumpers. Tirrell Baines switched to guard him, but to no avail.
"It was devastating," Marshall's Markel Humphrey said. "It felt like we played good defense, he just hit a tough shot. Stuff like that, there's nothing you can do about it."
UTEP coach Tony Barbee described the play for Jackson: "It was designed action, just an isolation for him in the middle of the floor, where it's hard to double[-team] and it's hard to run at him. If they did do any doubling, he had some angles to pass.
"He did have a pass because they ran off our little shooter, [Randy] Culpepper, but I don't think he was going to give that shot up tonight, the way he was going offensively."
Jones had a plan to answer in the final 10 seconds but never got a chance to see it through. Mark Dorris, whose 3-point bomb won a road game last week, tried to re-enact the feat quickly, but the shot clanked badly. Victor Ramalho was fouled on the rebound and hit two foul shots with 3.7 seconds left to set the final score.
Merthie pushed the ball upcourt for a decent 3-point try but missed at the buzzer.
"Our play was to push it, if we could get to the rim without a quick call, get to the rim," Jones said. "If not, we'll call a timeout. And we had six seconds to go and Mark just kind of hopped up and shot it. I know he'd like to take it back, but that's unfortunate.
"We'll be back there again and he'll make the right decision."
Jackson hit 11-of-23 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line, and also had eight rebounds and four assists. Marvin Kilgore, another Philadelphian with family in the stands, added 13 points and Culpepper had 10.
Wilkerson led a solid inside game for the Herd, hitting 6-of-7 from the floor and pulling down eight rebounds. Robbie Jackson tied his career high with 12 points, and Baines scored 10. The Herd netted 24 second-chance points and outrebounded the Miners 40-29.
The game was close almost throughout. Marshall took a 19-14 lead in the first half before losing it and rallying to lead 40-36 at the half. UTEP used an 11-2 run to take a 60-53 lead.
That run sort of summed up the Herd's difficulties in handling UTEP, an up-tempo squad that outscored the Herd 16-0 in fast-break points. One bad Dorris pass went for an immediate dunk the other way, and then the Herd committed another unforced turnover. A Stefon Jackson pull-up, a Kilgore drive and a Julyan Stone 3-pointer in transition forced Jones to regroup.
"They're one of the most athletic teams we've played, and we knew that coming in," Jones said. "Their backs were against the wall coming in here, hadn't won a road game and had some tough losses. The ball bounced their way."
UTEP (15-9 overall, 6-5 C-USA) rose to fifth place, tied with Southern Mississippi in the league standings. Marshall (14-11, 6-6), which fell behind two teams to tie Tulsa for seventh, takes on fourth-place Central Florida at home Saturday with a 2 p.m. tipoff.
BRIEFLY: With Dorris scoring 15 points and Humphrey adding 10, the Herd had five double-figure scorers for the second time this season. It well could have been six, but Merthie went 1-of-12 from the floor to compound his missed free throws. ... Jackson's previous 12-point game came a season ago at UTEP. ... Bruce Senior didn't dress for the third game in a row, but Jean Francois Bro Grebe returned from a four-game absence. ... For the second game in a row, a whistle blew in the stands, drawing a warning of a potential technical foul against the home team. But it worked for one possession - Kilgore heard the whistle, picked up his dribble and then walked.To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
UTEP 78, Herd 76
UTEP (15-9, 6-5)
Player FG FT R A P
Victor Ramalho 1-4 7-10 5 0 9
Claude Britten 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Julyan Stone 3-3 1-3 2 3 9
Stefon Jackson 11-23 6-7 8 4 28
Marvin Kilgore 5-8 2-2 4 6 13
Randy Culpepper 4-11 0-1 1 0 10
Tavaris Watts 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
Wayne Partalatin 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Gabriel McCulley 1-2 0-0 1 0 2
Jeremy Sampson 3-5 0-1 3 0 6
TEAM 1
Totals 29-59 16-24 29 13 79
Marshall (14-11, 6-6)
Player FG FT R A P
Markel Humphrey 4-6 1-1 4 3 10
Tirrell Baines 4-7 2-4 7 0 10
Tyler Wilkerson 6-7 5-7 8 0 18
Altidor Cespedes 1-1 0-0 0 3 2
Mark Dorris 5-13 0-0 5 4 15
Darryl Merthie 1-12 6-10 5 4 8
Robbie Jackson 4-5 4-6 6 0 12
J.F. Bro Grebe 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
Taurean Marshall 0-0 1-2 1 1 1
Adam Williams 0-1 0-2 0 1 0
TEAM 2
Totals 25-53 19-32 40 16 76
Halftime: MU 40-36. 3-point goals: UTEP 5-12 (Stone 2-2, Jackson 0-2, Kilgore 1-1, Culpepper 2-6, Sampson 0-1); MU 7-19 (Humphrey 1-3, Wilkerson 1-1, Dorris 5-10, Merthie 0-5). Fouled out: Sampson. Attendance: 4,638.
HUNTINGTON - Marshall's free-throw maladies gave Texas-El Paso's Stefon Jackson a chance to shine the brightest in front of his family and friends.
Playing the closest he'll come to his Philadelphia home this season, Conference USA's leading scorer hit the go-ahead shot with 10.7 seconds left in UTEP's 79-76 victory over Marshall Wednesday night. Those were the final two of his 28 points, about five above his average.
A crowd of 4,638 at Cam Henderson Center saw the Thundering Herd's three-game winning streak snapped as the Miners won their first league road game.
In a game featuring 13 ties and 23 lead changes, the Herd inflicted a lot of its own damage. Marshall committed 16 turnovers and went 19-of-32 from the line. Four of the six misses came in the final 2:58, keeping the Miners alive.
And, ultimately, sending Marshall from fifth to a tie for seventh place in the C-USA pack.
"We had our opportunity, missed 13 free throws," said Marshall coach Donnie Jones. "When you play a team that's very talented like that and can score, you've got to make free throws and make plays."
Tyler Wilkerson led the Herd with 18 points, and his free throw tied the game at 75 with 2:58 left. Darryl Merthie hit one of two free throws at 2:26, giving the Herd its last lead at 76-75.
The teams misfired until Merthie drew a foul, heading to the line with 25.9 seconds left. This time he missed both, opening the door for the Miners to seize the contest.
Which Jackson did, as he cut across the foul circle and popped in one of his patented pull-up jumpers. Tirrell Baines switched to guard him, but to no avail.
"It was devastating," Marshall's Markel Humphrey said. "It felt like we played good defense, he just hit a tough shot. Stuff like that, there's nothing you can do about it."
UTEP coach Tony Barbee described the play for Jackson: "It was designed action, just an isolation for him in the middle of the floor, where it's hard to double[-team] and it's hard to run at him. If they did do any doubling, he had some angles to pass.
"He did have a pass because they ran off our little shooter, [Randy] Culpepper, but I don't think he was going to give that shot up tonight, the way he was going offensively."
Jones had a plan to answer in the final 10 seconds but never got a chance to see it through. Mark Dorris, whose 3-point bomb won a road game last week, tried to re-enact the feat quickly, but the shot clanked badly. Victor Ramalho was fouled on the rebound and hit two foul shots with 3.7 seconds left to set the final score.
Merthie pushed the ball upcourt for a decent 3-point try but missed at the buzzer.
"Our play was to push it, if we could get to the rim without a quick call, get to the rim," Jones said. "If not, we'll call a timeout. And we had six seconds to go and Mark just kind of hopped up and shot it. I know he'd like to take it back, but that's unfortunate.
"We'll be back there again and he'll make the right decision."
Jackson hit 11-of-23 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line, and also had eight rebounds and four assists. Marvin Kilgore, another Philadelphian with family in the stands, added 13 points and Culpepper had 10.
Wilkerson led a solid inside game for the Herd, hitting 6-of-7 from the floor and pulling down eight rebounds. Robbie Jackson tied his career high with 12 points, and Baines scored 10. The Herd netted 24 second-chance points and outrebounded the Miners 40-29.
The game was close almost throughout. Marshall took a 19-14 lead in the first half before losing it and rallying to lead 40-36 at the half. UTEP used an 11-2 run to take a 60-53 lead.
That run sort of summed up the Herd's difficulties in handling UTEP, an up-tempo squad that outscored the Herd 16-0 in fast-break points. One bad Dorris pass went for an immediate dunk the other way, and then the Herd committed another unforced turnover. A Stefon Jackson pull-up, a Kilgore drive and a Julyan Stone 3-pointer in transition forced Jones to regroup.
"They're one of the most athletic teams we've played, and we knew that coming in," Jones said. "Their backs were against the wall coming in here, hadn't won a road game and had some tough losses. The ball bounced their way."
UTEP (15-9 overall, 6-5 C-USA) rose to fifth place, tied with Southern Mississippi in the league standings. Marshall (14-11, 6-6), which fell behind two teams to tie Tulsa for seventh, takes on fourth-place Central Florida at home Saturday with a 2 p.m. tipoff.
BRIEFLY: With Dorris scoring 15 points and Humphrey adding 10, the Herd had five double-figure scorers for the second time this season. It well could have been six, but Merthie went 1-of-12 from the floor to compound his missed free throws. ... Jackson's previous 12-point game came a season ago at UTEP. ... Bruce Senior didn't dress for the third game in a row, but Jean Francois Bro Grebe returned from a four-game absence. ... For the second game in a row, a whistle blew in the stands, drawing a warning of a potential technical foul against the home team. But it worked for one possession - Kilgore heard the whistle, picked up his dribble and then walked.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
UTEP 78, Herd 76
UTEP (15-9, 6-5)
Player FG FT R A P
Victor Ramalho 1-4 7-10 5 0 9
Claude Britten 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Julyan Stone 3-3 1-3 2 3 9
Stefon Jackson 11-23 6-7 8 4 28
Marvin Kilgore 5-8 2-2 4 6 13
Randy Culpepper 4-11 0-1 1 0 10
Tavaris Watts 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
Wayne Partalatin 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Gabriel McCulley 1-2 0-0 1 0 2
Jeremy Sampson 3-5 0-1 3 0 6
TEAM 1
Totals 29-59 16-24 29 13 79
Marshall (14-11, 6-6)
Player FG FT R A P
Markel Humphrey 4-6 1-1 4 3 10
Tirrell Baines 4-7 2-4 7 0 10
Tyler Wilkerson 6-7 5-7 8 0 18
Altidor Cespedes 1-1 0-0 0 3 2
Mark Dorris 5-13 0-0 5 4 15
Darryl Merthie 1-12 6-10 5 4 8
Robbie Jackson 4-5 4-6 6 0 12
J.F. Bro Grebe 0-1 0-0 2 0 0
Taurean Marshall 0-0 1-2 1 1 1
Adam Williams 0-1 0-2 0 1 0
TEAM 2
Totals 25-53 19-32 40 16 76
Halftime: MU 40-36. 3-point goals: UTEP 5-12 (Stone 2-2, Jackson 0-2, Kilgore 1-1, Culpepper 2-6, Sampson 0-1); MU 7-19 (Humphrey 1-3, Wilkerson 1-1, Dorris 5-10, Merthie 0-5). Fouled out: Sampson. Attendance: 4,638.
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