Why This Was Marshall’s Most Impressive and Important Win of the Season So Far
On Saturday, Marshall pulled off a come from behind victory over Texas State to
improve to 8-8 (3-0) on the season. On the surface, there is nothing too special about
this win. Texas State had a record of 6-8 coming into this game and had lost both of
their conference games thus far, but if you dig a little deeper, this was a crucial win for
the development of this Herd team. Let’s dive into why.
I want to start off by talking about the Texas State Bobcats. They came into this
game desperate. They lost their two opening Sun Belt games and came back home to
face off against a Marshall team that was on the last game of their two-game road trip.
Their coach (Terrence Johnson) specifically mentioned how important of a game this
was for his team. The Bobcats have had a lot of recent success in the Sun Belt, having
won the conference’s regular season title in both 2021 and 2022. Not to mention they
were also the team that upset the Herd last year in Pensacola and ruined our chances
of playing post-season basketball. To add on even further, playing on the road during
conference play is a tall task, plain and simple. For context, the two top teams in the
league (James Madison & Appalachian State) lost on the road Saturday as well. All the
odds were stacked against Marshall as they headed into San Marcos.
This game was very unique because of how different the style was compared to
Marshall’s first two conference games. Instead of a slow paced defensive battle, which
usually will favor the Herd, this became an up-tempo shootout to start. Texas State was
able to use their size down low with Brandon Love to absolutely dominate the paint.
They outscored Marshall in the paint during the first half by 14 points (30 to 16). That
wasn’t the only shocking part; the Bobcats were also getting easy transition buckets and
consistently beating Marshall down the floor.
The Herd usually has a stellar transition
defense. In fact, they even held ULL to zero transition points two games ago, but
Saturday it seemed like the Bobcats were able to get whatever they wanted in that
department and they ended up outscoring Marshall 14 to 9 in fast break points. It
seemed like everything was going wrong for Marshall, but Obinna Anochili-Killen’s
ability to get to the free throw line and a huge stretch by Kam Curfman cut the Bobcat lead to three at the break.
As the second half started, I felt like the game was going to turn in the Herd’s
favor, but just like the first half, Marshall dug themselves in a 12-point hole. It was
trending in a bad direction until Kevon Voyles came alive and went on a personal 5-0
run to force a Texas State timeout. At that moment, all the momentum seemed to shift
Marshall’s way. The defense tightened up on their switches, forced a bunch of turnovers
(13 in the game to be exact), and the interior defense improved enough to slow down
Brandon Love. Marshall was also very effectively attacking the basket and that led to
them getting to the line a bunch. They shot 26 free throws as opposed to the Bobcats
shooting just 19. The Herd just slowly outworked them until they took the lead with 5:45
left to go and never looked back.
Individually, I want to talk about the job Jacob Conner has done since taking over
point guard duties. He has improved each game and Saturday was his toughest test
yet. Texas State was applying ball pressure for 94 feet all game. At first it seemed to
throw him off, but he settled in nicely and finished with 4 assists and just 2 turnovers
(2:1 assist-turnover ratio).
Curfman and Voyles both added timely buckets. Kam only
finished with 13, but it felt like each of his buckets came when Marshall really needed it.
The biggest one that comes to mind is when the Herd went down 3 late in the second
half and it seemed as if the momentum might shift, but Kam knocked down a 30 footer
to tie the game and keep the momentum Marshall’s way. Kevon was spectacular in his
own right. I mentioned the importance of the personal 5-0 run earlier, but he also
finished with 16 points and the highest offensive rating on the team (126).
The big men also played a crucial role in this one. Obinna’s ability to get to the
free throw line Saturday was a major stabilizer for the offense when they really couldn’t
find much rhythm. He shot 14 free throws and made 10 of them, which is a great
percentage for him. He also got better on defense as the game went on and really
limited Brandon Love in the second half. And last, but certainly not least, what a night
for Nate Martin. The former Texas State Bobcat was able to get revenge on his former
team. Martin finished the night with 14 points and 12 boards and had some of the
biggest plays of the game with a crucial offensive rebound and 3 made free throws
down the stretch. I know that one must have felt great for him.
Overall this was an extremely telling win for Marshall. They were able to win a
game on the road, when things weren’t exactly going their way. They went down 12
twice and just continued to battle. It wasn’t the style of game that benefits them, but they
showed they have versatility in the way they can win ball games. That is huge. Come
March, each game will look totally different and in a single elimination setting, they are
going to have to be able to win these kinds of games to reach the dance.
