First and Ben

By Ben Anderson      The saying “It’s not over till the final buzzer” proved to be the case on Saturday night, as Marshall men’s basketball defeated Wright State 76-74 at the Cam Henderson Center.      “What a game,” Marshall men’s basketball head coach Cornelius ‘Corny’ Jackson said. “We’d make a run, they’d answer and vice versa. I’m glad we were able to outlast them. We knew they were going to be a tough game. They’re better than their record.”      The final minute of the contest played out like a movie. Wright State’s Sam Alamutu drilled a three from the logo with 0:54 remaining to give the Raiders a 71-70 lead.  Wyatt Fricks responded with a three from the top to give the Herd a 73-71 lead that proved to be the dagger.       “It was just good to show up for my team.” Fricks said. “It’s showing up, working all the time, so I was confident taking it. It was good to see it go in. Hearing the crowd burst, that’s def...

 By Ben Anderson      Tonight, the Marshall Thundering Herd aim to get back on track as it welcomes the old-time Conference USA rival Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the Cam Henderson Center.       The Thundering Herd enters at 5-4, and on a 3-game losing streak following an 88-81 loss on the road Saturday to the Ohio Bobcats.      T he Herd shot poorly in the contest from behind the arc, going 6-24. Head coach Cornelius “Corny” Jackson said that the Herd has to re-evaluate themselves after the loss.      “That’s real uncharacteristic of us,” Jackson said. We have to be better all around. I have to be better. The players have to be better. So, we have a few days of soul searching and look in the mirror and really evaluate, what we can do to get this thing right. Because it’s not a good feeling to lose three games in a row, regardless of who were playing.”      The Hilltoppers from Bowling Green, Kentuck...

 By Ben Anderson      Tomorrow, Marshall women’s basketball aims to extend its winning streak to three in a row when it welcomes the IU Indy Jaguars into the Cam Henderson Center.      The Thundering Herd is coming off yet another impressive performance with a 85-54 victory Friday afternoon after the USC Upstate Spartans at Morehead State University.       The Herd in the contest let it rain from the behind the arc in the first quarter, connecting on 10 triples to take a 29-7 lead after the period. The Herd converted on 16 shots from behind the arc in the contest.       Defense, which has been the bread and butter for the Thundering Herd this season, continued to be the strong front as the Herd forced 36 turnovers, and scoring 37 points off turnovers.      Leading the way for the Thundering Herd was senior guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, scoring 17 points, going 6-for-8 from the field, including 2-3 fro...

 By Ben Anderson      Tonight, the Marshall Thundering Herd aims to regain its winning ways against the NCAA Division II Salem Tigers at the Cam Henderson Center.      The Herd has lost back-to-back games to power five opponents, falling 51-57 to Indiana, and 77-44 to No. 23 Kentucky.      Despite the lopsided score, the Herd had many positives in the loss to the Wildcats, especially on the defensive side of the hardwood.      “I thought defensively, it’s the theme right now, we did a lot of really good things,” Juli Fulks, Marshall head women’s basketball coach, said. “We were plus-15 on steals. Defensively, we’re doing enough.”      The game against the Wildcats was one that the Herd brought the stampede early, trailing 9-6 after the first quarter and holding Kentucky to just 3-for-17 shooting. The Herd held the Wildcats to an overall shooting of 39.1% (25 for 64).      “I thought we had a l...

 By Ben Anderson      Marshall Cross Country recently competed in the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships in Foley Alabama.      The women’s team finished 8th out of 13 teams. Leading the way was senior Hannah Wyler with a seventh-place overall finish with a time of 17:25, a new 5K PR for the Mineral City, Ohio native. Cross Country head coach Caleb Bowen said that Wyler made tremendous efforts to be the leader of the pack.      “That was totally what we expected,” Bowen said. “She thrives in being up in the front. She thrives in that leadership role. So, she did exactly what we knew she could do. And she was tough. It definitely wasn’t easy being up in that front seven. But, really proud of her for laying it all on the line, going for it, and ultimately getting that first-team all-conference.”      Wyler became the third female runner in the Sun Belt Conference era to earn all-conference honors joining Abb...

 By Ben Anderson      Tonight, the Marshall Thundering Herd play host to the Elon Phoenix for the 2025-26 home opener.       The Thundering Herd has had the hot hand to start the season, opening up with a pair of road wins against UMass and Toledo. Redshirt senior Wyatt Fricks said that the start helps boost the team morale entering tonight.       “Getting two wins on the road to start the year, that’s big time.” Fricks said. “Last year we really struggled on the road.” “Getting two early, that really helps with that kind of team morale, that confidence that you can win on the road, you can overcome adversity.”      The Herd trailed the Toledo Rockets 40-30 at halftime, before outscoring the Rockets 55-33 in the second half to pick up the 85-73 victory, something that stood out to head coach Cornelius “Corny” Jackson was the team’s effort in the second half.       “I was proud of our second-ha...

By Ben Anderson      Marshall Cross Country competed in its final tune-up before the Sun Belt Conference Championships with the Falcon Invitational at Bowling Green University.       Marshall, for the second straight week, had a new leader on the women’s side with senior Hannah Wyler running the 6K with a time of 22:01. Marshall cross country head coach Caleb Bowen said that he proud of the way that numerous runners have taken on the number one role throughout the season.       “I’m very excited to see them step up and do pretty well,” Bowen said. “We have like three number one girls, which is what you want in a team, with Hannah Toth, Hannah Wyler, and Destiny (Berryman). It was really fun to see Asha (Bora) step up and throw her name in the mix as well.”      Leading the way for the men’s team was junior Brady Dawkins, with an 8k time of 25:36. Dawkins said that he was pleased with the way he handled the race. ...