Jan 11, 2003

Final Stats| Notes

HUNTINGTON, WV (AP) - Ronald Blackshear scored 32 points to lead Marshall (8-3, 4-0 MAC) to a 79-58 victory over Toledo (7-6, 1-2 MAC) on Saturday night.

The Thundering Herd improved to 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference for the first time ever.

Blackshear broke out of a four-game shooting slump, hitting 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including 12 points over a four-minute span of the second half.

Leading 36-24 at halftime, Marshall shot 62 percent from the floor in the second half. The Thundering Herd led by as many as 26 points late in the game.

Sammy Villegas scored 15 points to lead Toledo.

Nick Moore, leading Toledo in scoring with 15.8 points per game, was held to nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. His three treys Saturday gave him a school record 232 for his career.

Marshall's David Anderson scored 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Marvin Black had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Thundering Herd, making 77 percent of its free throws for the season, went 16-of-19 Saturday.

The Rockets fell behind early as the Herd jumped out to a 9-0 advantage. Marshall kept the pressure on and extended their lead to 26-11 with 10 minutes left in the half before UT went on a 11-0 run to climb within four with five minutes remaining. The Herd then ended the half with a 10-2 run of their own for a 36-24 halftime lead.

Toledo had several chances in the first 10 minutes of the second half to reduce its deficit into single digits but the Herd put the game away with a 9-0 run to take a 65-44 lead with seven minutes remaining.

The Rockets return home on Tuesday, Jan. 14 to face Miami (4-8, 2-1 MAC) at Savage Hall. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m.