WVU Marshall Recap: The Capitol City Comedy

For the Mountaineers, the Capitol Classic was a comedy of errors. Between the offensive rebounds that Marshall turned into second and third chance shots and the Mountaineer turnovers, it's amazing WVU was able to stay in the game. Their one saving grace was an excellent night at the free throw line.

The opposite was true for Marshall.They finished the game hitting only 10 of 24 shots from the free throw line. It was really the difference between a close game and a ten point win for Marshall. Despite their poor free throw shooting, the Herd held the lead from the opening tip until the 3:41 mark in the second half when Juwan Staten converted the old fashioned three point play.

It was at this point that the wheels came off for Marshall. The Mountaineers built a three point lead but looked to let Marshall back in when Ryan Taylor was fouled at the 2:40 mark. However, Taylor returned the favor and elbowed Remi Dibo for no good reason. It was a technical foul that cost the Herd a possession and the Mountaineers never looked back on their way to a 74-64 win.

Eron Harris suffered an ankle injury in the first half and was largely ineffective. He still had 11 points, though. Juwan Staten,Terry Henderson, and Brandon Watkins stepped up their game to fill the void. Watkins was named the MVP of the game with 11 rebounds and 12 points off the bench. Gary Brown also chipped in 12 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting night.

West Virginia has the next week off before a game against Purdue on the 22nd in Morgantown.