Huntington, WV (Sports Network) – Johnny Thomas netted 13 points to pace the Marshall Thundering Herd in a 72-61 triumph of the Rice Owls in Conference USA action at the Cam Henderson Center.
Damier Pitts, DeAndre Kane and Dago Pena each scored 11 points for Marshall (17-9, 5-6 C-USA), which won its second game in a row.
Tamir Jackson led Rice (11-14, 3-8) and all players with 21 points on 7-of-14 field goals. Arsalan Kazemi added 16 points and nine rebounds, as the Owls dropped their third straight game.
Marshall shot 44.4 percent from the field in the first half, taking a 30-24 lead to the intermission.
In the second half, the Herd went a perfect 19-of-19 at the foul line to secure the 11-point victory.
Marshall finished the game 23-of-24 at the charity stripe, in addition to holding a 36-24 advantage on the boards.