CINCINNATI -- The last time Marshall defeated a team currently in the Big East (not named WVU) Tom Herrion was a 16-year-old Oxford (Mass.) High School student.
Twenty eight years later, against a college basketball program with two national championships and six Final Fours, Herrion and the Herd charged into Fifth Third Arena here on the campus of the University of Cincinnati and clawed out a non-conference victory.
It took five extra minutes, but Marshall finally knocked out Cincinnati, 73-69, in overtime to stay perfect through five games.
"Any time you are able to go on the road and beat a program like Cincinnati ...," Herrion said before reorganizing his thoughts. "I'm a little bit of an older school guy for a young coach. I know the tradition here ... We had to come in and fight and battle.
Marshall (5-0) fell behind by 7 points in the first half, but rallied to take a 1-point halftime lead. The Herd looked like it was going to succumb to the bruising Bearcats (3-2) in the second half -- and trailed by as many as 9 points with 11:21 left -- but somehow, someway MU rallied again and again.
By the time the clock hits all zeroes at the end of the five-minute overtime period, Herrion walked toward Cincinnati Coach Mick Cronin to shake hands while the Herd players -- looking like modern-day Jimmy Valvanos -- ran around aimlessly to celebrate the program's second road win in four days.
"Coach just kept telling us to keep our composure," Herd senior point guard Damier Pitts said. "We were kind of rushing shots here and there and we were just trying to slow down and let the offense come to us."
Pitts, who finished with a team-high 19 points, capped a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer that put the Herd ahead, 56-55, with 4:42 left of the game.
Moments after UC connected on 1-of-2 free throws, the Bearcats flashed a 2-3 zone and DeAndre Kane found teammate Justin Coleman for an alley-oop dunk to put the Herd ahead again. On the next possession, Pitts hit a 3 from the right win to match Marshall's largest lead (5 points) with 2:05 left.
The Herd didn't score again in regulation, however, and mixed in a turnover with two missed shots to give Cincinnati an opportunity to tie (which UC did) and then win in regulation (which the Bearcats did not).
CINCINNATI -- The last time Marshall defeated a team currently in the Big East (not named WVU) Tom Herrion was a 16-year-old Oxford (Mass.) High School student.
Twenty eight years later, against a college basketball program with two national championships and six Final Fours, Herrion and the Herd charged into Fifth Third Arena here on the campus of the University of Cincinnati and clawed out a non-conference victory.
It took five extra minutes, but Marshall finally knocked out Cincinnati, 73-69, in overtime to stay perfect through five games.
"Any time you are able to go on the road and beat a program like Cincinnati ...," Herrion said before reorganizing his thoughts. "I'm a little bit of an older school guy for a young coach. I know the tradition here ... We had to come in and fight and battle.
Marshall (5-0) fell behind by 7 points in the first half, but rallied to take a 1-point halftime lead. The Herd looked like it was going to succumb to the bruising Bearcats (3-2) in the second half -- and trailed by as many as 9 points with 11:21 left -- but somehow, someway MU rallied again and again.
By the time the clock hits all zeroes at the end of the five-minute overtime period, Herrion walked toward Cincinnati Coach Mick Cronin to shake hands while the Herd players -- looking like modern-day Jimmy Valvanos -- ran around aimlessly to celebrate the program's second road win in four days.
"Coach just kept telling us to keep our composure," Herd senior point guard Damier Pitts said. "We were kind of rushing shots here and there and we were just trying to slow down and let the offense come to us."
Pitts, who finished with a team-high 19 points, capped a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer that put the Herd ahead, 56-55, with 4:42 left of the game.
Moments after UC connected on 1-of-2 free throws, the Bearcats flashed a 2-3 zone and DeAndre Kane found teammate Justin Coleman for an alley-oop dunk to put the Herd ahead again. On the next possession, Pitts hit a 3 from the right win to match Marshall's largest lead (5 points) with 2:05 left.
The Herd didn't score again in regulation, however, and mixed in a turnover with two missed shots to give Cincinnati an opportunity to tie (which UC did) and then win in regulation (which the Bearcats did not).
Marshall opened overtime with a 3 from Kane and a tip-in by 6-foot-9 junior Robert Goff for another 5-point lead. Unlike the leads of the same margin in the first and second halves, the Herd didn't relinquish this one.
Marshall outrebounded the Big East behemoth 43-30, including a 20-10 margin in the second half.
"We had to outrebound them," Herrion said. "We thought that was the key to the game. We weren't real efficient on offense early. I thought we were sloppy and loose at times, but we made big plays down the stretch."
Goff and fellow junior college transfer Dennis Tinnon combined for 26 points and 20 rebounds. Goff played 32 minutes and Tinnon 40, and Tinnon finished with a double-double (15 points, 14 boards).
Marshall last defeated a team from one of the six power conferences on the road on Dec. 7, 1989, when the Herd won at Texas A&M.
After Friday night's game in front of 7,021 fans here, the players collected at the bottom of the bleachers behind one of the baskets and celebrated with the pocket of fans decked out in Marshall gear.
On Black Friday, the day belonged to green.
"I know how we have to play," Herrion said. "We are a hard-hat, lunch-pail group. We're not going to be pretty at times.
"I thought we out-toughed them down the stretch. We wore them down."
Marshall was an 8-point underdog.
The Herd's next game is Wednesday at home against Ohio.
Contact sportswriter Chuck McGill at chuck.mcg...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712. His blog is at blogs.dailymail.com/marshall.
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