Memphis rolls past Marshall

Published 12:46 am Monday, February 18, 2013

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Adonis Thomas scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead No. 22 Memphis to its 16th straight victory, 71-59 over Marshall on Saturday night.

Joe Jackson added 12 points and Geron Johnson had 11 for the Tigers (22-3, 11-0 Conference USA), who improved to 7-0 in road games with the help of their reserves. The Memphis bench outscored their Marshall counterparts 19-6.

Elijah Pittman and DeAndre Kane scored 16 points apiece for Marshall (11-15, 4-7). Dennis Tinnon added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Thundering Herd, who committed 20 turnovers and lost for the sixth time in eight games.

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Thomas, whose previous career best was 19 points — reached on three occasions — had 15 in the opening half but fell silent after halftime along with his teammates.

Memphis built a 17-point halftime lead then made just one field goal over the first eight minutes of the second half.

Despite its own scoring struggles, Marshall crept closer behind a burst of baskets from Tinnon and Pittman. Pittman’s free throw brought the Thundering Herd within 46-41 with 10:44 remaining.

Then Memphis finally emerged from its slumber. Johnson scored off a rebound then made a 3-pointer to finish a 10-2 run for a 56-43 lead with 8:21 left.

Marshall, playing a ranked opponent at home for the first time in three seasons, got no closer than eight the rest of the game.

Earlier this season, the Tigers held off Marshall 73-72 in Memphis, but the Thundering Herd struggled on offense this time.

Marshall led by as many as seven early on then went scoreless over a stretch of six minutes. Thomas hit a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-0 run as Memphis surged ahead 27-15 before stretching it to 43-26 at halftime.