Marshall Men’s Basketball Recap
By Owen James, FM88 Sports
Feb. 18, 2026
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — Marshall Men’s Basketball fought off a spirited comeback effort from South Alabama to secure an 84-80 victory over the top-ranked Jaguars Monday night at the Cam Henderson Center.
The Herd had a futile comeback of their own on Saturday on the road against Georgia Southern, cutting a 24-point deficit to single-digits but failing to finish the job. South Alabama had a very different story earlier that day, rallying down 18 with 7:45 remaining to shock hosting Arkansas State.
The Cam was packed, with 3,932 fans showing their support, including former Marshall and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety J. J. Roberts.
The Herd exploited forward Wyatt Fricks’ 6-foot-10 frame early on, scoring four consecutive buckets off crafty lobs to the fifth-year senior. Just as the Jaguars began to back off, Marshall unlocked the perimeter, hitting a series of threes and amassing a towering 38-23 lead with 4 minutes left in the first half.
South Alabama played out the rest of the half with steady pace, but the Herd kept up their hailstorm of shots from distance. After the period, Marshall continued to hold a strong advantage of 48-35, knocking down 12 first-half 3-pointers with a blazing 55% 3-point percentage.
The Jaguars emphasized a mix of hardnosed inside play from guard Chaze Harris and tough outside shooting from forward Adam Olsen coming out of the half and were able to apply newfound energy to begin mounting one of the electric comebacks they had gained a reputation for. With 2 minutes remaining in regulation, Harris hit a critical layup to cut the deficit to just 77-76.
Senior guard Jalen Speer refused to blink in the face of immense pressure, knocking down his sixth 3-pointer of the night and giving the Herd some much needed breathing room.
South Alabama fired back, and with the Marshall lead down to 80-78, Fricks grabbed a missed 3-pointer by Noah Otshudi and converted an and-1 opportunity on the offensive rebound to push the lead back to five.
Seconds later, Fricks met South Alabama big man Stephen Williams at the rim on a dunk attempt, notching his fifth block of the game to end any comeback attempt.
Fricks finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five blocks to lead the Herd to the win. Speer finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, continuing his pace as the Sun Belt Conference leader in assists.
“That was a big win that we clearly needed and I’m proud of these guys for coming out and making plays,” Thundering Herd head coach, Cornelius Jackson said following the win. “They executed well against the zone and obviously, we shot the ball well. I’m proud of these guys for executing. That’s a really good South Alabama team.”
With the win, Marshall improves their conference record to 9-5 and ties Troy for second in the conference, behind only App State.
Marshall Men’s Basketball squares off next against the top-ranked Mountaineers on Thursday, in a road game threatening to be the most pivotal of the Herd’s season.