HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) – Austin Loop scored 20 points and Justin Edmonds added 19 as Marshall defeated Florida International 87-69 on Thursday night and clinched a spot in the Conference USA tournament.
Loop led five players from the Thundering Herd (10-18, 6-9) into double-figure scoring as Marshall connected on 50 percent of its shots (26 of 52) including 11 of 27 from 3-point range. Edmonds added 19 points with four 3-pointers, Ryan Taylor scored 13 and Aleksa Nikolic and Cheikh Sane added 10 each.
Sane and DeVince Boykins sparked a 9-2 run that put the Herd up 21-15 midway through the first half and they took off from there, leading 44-28 by halftime.
Adrian Diaz led FIU (13-15, 6-9) with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Dennis Mavin and Daviyon Draper added 12 each. Marshall avenged an overtime loss at FIU in January.
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