HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Despite trailing by 17 points in the first half, a clutch three by Andrew Taylor and a key block by Marko Sarenac in the final 10 seconds helped secure a 72-71 comeback victory for the Marshall University men’s basketball team (5-3) over the Duquesne Dukes on Saturday night in the Cam Henderson Center.

“Obviously it was a slow start. I’m going to attribute it to the lineup change (the insertion of David Early and Obinna Anochili-Killen into Saturday’s starting lineup),” Marshall men’s basketball head coach Dan D’Antoni said after the win. “We’re young, but they fought. We were down seven and 0-for-13 from the three at the end of the first half. They gave you their heart and that’s all you can ask for.”

Junior Taevion Kinsey recorded 21 points while adding six rebounds, six assists and did not record

Anochili-Killen and Taylor each had 13 points and seven rebounds as Anochili-Killen rejected a game-high four shots. Senior Darius George brought down a team-high eight rebounds.

Duquesne’s Primo Spears lead all scorers with 23 points.

After the big first-half deficit, a made free throw by Anochili-Killen tied the game, 69-69, with 2:13 left in the contest.

On the Dukes next possession, Kevin Easley tallied a jumper to put the Herd back down by two, 71-69, with less than two minutes remaining.

After a couple of scoreless possessions, MU had the ball with 14 seconds left after a Kinsey defensive rebound. He then rushed the ball up the court and dished it to Taylor. The redshirt sophomore guard gave a pump fake, and nailed a corner three to put the Herd up 72-71 with 10 ticks left. The make came after missing his first three long balls earlier in the contest.

Duquesne hurried the ball up the court and Spears attempted a layup, but sophomore Marko Sarenac rejected the shot as the time expired to give Marshall the comeback victory.

The catalyst for the win was when Anochili-Killen hit Marshall’s first three-point basket of the contest after the team missed its first 16 attempts from behind the arc. The make sent Marshall on a 13-0 run to take its first lead of the game and the home team made five of its next six three-point attempts.

NOTES 

Kinsey reached double-figure scoring for the 42nd consecutive game and has scored 20 or more points in seven of the first eight games this season. The Columbus, Ohio, native now has 28 games of 20 or more points in his career.

The Herd has made a three in 978 consecutive games, with the last contest coming without a triple occurring on Feb. 27, 1989, in a win over App State.

Anochili-Killen has reached double-figure scoring in seven of the team’s eight games this season.

Early and Anochili-Killen each made their first starts of the season. It was Anochili-Killen’s 18th career start and Early’s second.

Taylor has scored 10 or more points in his last three games.

UP NEXT 

MU hosts Bluefield University on Wednesday at 7 p.