By CODY LINN

Marshall Athletics

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Led by six in double-figure scoring, the Marshall University men’s basketball team (18-5, 7-3 Sun Belt) took its contest by a 38-point margin, 103-65, over the Georgia State Panthers (9-13, 2-8 Sun Belt) Saturday night in a front of a 5,711 sell-out crowd. 

 “Shout-out to the fans for coming here and selling out this event,” Taevion Kinsey said about the crowd. “I think it made it real hard for them to come out here and play. I don’t think they really expected it like that.” 

 Georgia State started the contest with five of the game’s first seven points, but after that it was all Marshall. The Herd took control of the contest with a 17-0 run from the 18:06 mark to 14:07 to take a 20-5 lead. Kinsey tallied nine of his 18 points during the advantage. The Columbus, Ohio, native also had two of his game-high 10 assists during the run en route to his second double-double of the season. 

 “We had the energy that we’ve been missing a little bit,” Herd men’s basketball head coach Dan D’Antoni said. “We just can’t let up. We’ve got to play like a champion every week – every practice, every game, regardless of what happens.” 

 MU had the hot hand in the first half making 21 of its 33 shots (63.6 percent) from the field, including 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from three-point range. The Green and White led 56-29 at the break. 

 Then from 10:26 to 5:28 in the second half, the Herd went on a 20-2 run, capped off by a Kyle Braun layup, to take a 49-point lead, 98-49. It was Marshall’s largest lead of the game and of the season. 

 “A lot of it was focusing and taking care of what we were doing,” Andrew Taylor said. “I feel like Thursday, maybe we weren’t speeding the other team up as much as we needed to defensively. Tonight, we had our foot on the gas and kept it there and got a 40-point victory.” 

 Taylor and Kamdyn Curfman each had seven assists as Taylor scored a game-high 20 points and Curfman had 11. 

 Obinna Anochili-Killen recorded a season-high 18 points with Jacob Conner contributing 10. 

 Notes 

The Herd’s 103 points were the most in a Sun Belt Conference game this season and second most by a SBC team in any game during the 2022-23 campaign. 

 MU had six in double-figure scoring for the first time since November 12, 2021, in a 96-88 season-opening win over Wright State. 

 Kinsey’s double-double was the ninth of his career. The fifth-year senior’s 10 assists are a season-high. 

 Kinsey and Taylor have each reached double-figure scoring in all 23 games during the current campaign. The contest marked Taylor’s eighth game of 20 or more points this season. 

 Conner’s 10 points marked his first game of 10 or more points since December 29 against App State. 

 Curfman has registered six consecutive games of 10 or more points. 

 UP NEXT 

Marshall hits the road as it travels to Boone, North Carolina, to take on the App State Mountaineers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.