HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Despite Tyren Moore scoring a season-high 34 points on 11-16 shooting, Georgia Southern men's basketball dropped a close contest at Marshall 79-74 on Wednesday.
The Eagles (2-14, 2-2 Sun Belt) led by two at halftime, but Marshall's (9-8, 4-0) free-throw shooting allowed them to come back in the second half.
Consecutive threes by Eren Banks and Tyren Moore put the Eagles up four at the first media timeout. While the Herd took a brief three-point lead, Nate Brafford and Derrick Harris Jr. traded threes to go back in front.
Tied late, Moore hit a contested three and then Avantae Parker found an open Jamar Franklin to extend the lead back to six. David Jones split his free throw attempts towards the end to lead at two heading into the locker room.
The Eagles shot 12-27 from the field and 7-16 from three in the opening frame.
Marshall took the lead back after the under-16, but a tough bucket for Malik Tidwell gave the lead right back. The teams traded leads until the half's midpoint following a Moore and-one conversion.
Marshall's presence at the line dictated the remainder of the game as the Eagles fought but never got the lead back. Moore scored 14 points over the final eight minutes to stretch his total to 34 as the Herd played out a 79-74 win.
Moore's 34 led the game and is the highest by any Eagle since Tookie Brown scored 32 against Louisiana on 2/6/19. The last player to score 34 for the Eagles was also Brown on 1/25/16.
Banks finished with 11, and Parker recorded eight points and nine rebounds for another near-double-double.
The Eagles outshot the Herd at a 46.6 percent clip, but the 24-9 discrepancy in free throws pushed the home team to victory.
The first matchup with in-state rival Georgia State will take place in Atlanta on Saturday.
