The Associated Press

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Tuesday, December 21, 1999

Kalamazoo, Mich. – Joda Burgess stole a pass and fed Marques Evans for a layup with six seconds left in double overtime to give Marshall a 127-126 victory over Western Michigan Monday night.

Marshall (8-0, 1-0 Mid-American Conference), which had fallen behind by double digits several times in regulation, matched its best start since the 1973-74 season.

Things looked good for Western (2-6, 0-1) after Marshall’s Tamar Slay, who had a career-high 38 points, and J.R. VanHoose, who scored 24, fouled out early in the second overtime.

Western scored nine of the first 12 points of the second overtime, and Tony Barksdale’s 3-pointer put the Broncos ahead 126-120 with 2:38 left. But Western didn’t score again.

Burgess hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 2:15 left. He hit the free throw to make it 126-124.

Travis Young, who scored a career-high 27 points, sank a free throw with 12 seconds left. Burgess followed with a steal and fed Evans for the winning basket.

In regulation, Marshall outscored Western 17-7 in the final four minutes. Slay hit two 3-pointers in the final minute. Young then was fouled on a 3-point attempt with five seconds left. The 58-percent free-throw shooter hit all three free throws to send the game into the first overtime tied 102-102.

In the first overtime, Slay gave Marshall its first lead since early in the game, 112-110, on a jumper with 25 seconds left. Western’s Rod Brown scored with nine seconds left to force the second overtime.

Robert Watson led seven Western Michigan players in double figures with 26 points off the bench on 8-of-9 shooting. Thadus Williams had 22 and Barksdale 21.