Marshall holds off Pikeville, 78-68, in exhibition play

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. Marshall opened its exhibition schedule with a 78-68 win over Pikeville on Wednesday night at Cam Henderson Center, moving to 2-0 in preseason play. The Thundering Herd led 20-8 midway through the first half before the Bears answered with an 11-0 run.

Pikeville held the lead at halftime, 29-27, and spent 15:42 of game time ahead of Marshall across both halves. Jace Copley made two straight three-pointers and Aden Barnett added a layup to pull the Bears within one during the first half; a free throw with 1:29 left in the half gave Pikeville a 27-24 edge.

Copley hit another three early in the second half to push Pikeville's lead to 34-27 with 18:42 remaining. Marshall then scored nine straight to lead 40-37, and Pikeville responded with seven points of its own before the Herd ran off a 14-0 burst during which it made 7-of-8 shots.

Marshall coach Corny Jackson said the result did not match the performance he wanted to see. "It was … disappointing," Jackson said. "Even though we won the game, they outplayed us, out-scrapped us, were tougher than us. We talk about being consistent, being scrappy, playing with toughness, leadership. We're searching for all four now. It's a new roster, but we've got to get it turned around quickly."

Jackson said the Bears had something to prove. "Number 5 (Copley) had the game of his life," Jackson said. "They had something to prove. You could tell by the way they played. I'm happy we won, but they outplayed us. No bones about it."

Copley finished with seven three-pointers and a game-high 24 points, plus a team-best eight rebounds. Zion Blevins, a Chapmanville native, added 17 points for Pikeville, which was picked to win the Appalachian American Conference and ranked No. 21 in the NAIA Preseason Poll.

Colt Langdon led Marshall with 18 points, including a three-pointer that gave the Herd a 75-66 lead with under three minutes to play. Bryce Slay scored 13, Emmanuel Manyuon 11, and Noah Otshudi 10. Otshudi, one of the few returnees from a year ago, said the team has work ahead. "I'm in a new role. What this team has to do is play hard," he said.

Marshall shot 3-of-23 from three-point range and was outrebounded. Jackson said the team's shooting in practice has not carried over to games. "We shoot the lights out in practice," Jackson said. "We've got to perform when the lights come on. We've got a new roster. We can't count on that. It starts Monday."

Monday's opener against Buffalo at Cam Henderson Center is part of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. Jackson said he wants the building full for the game. "Can't wait to get the Cam rockin'," Jackson said. "We want it packed. We've got to play the brand of basketball to do that. Give them a product to cheer for."