Whiteside plays strong with 9 blocked shots as Marshall holds off Ohio’s rally in 60-53 win

Whiteside leads Marshall past Ohio 60-53

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — Hassan Whiteside scored 14 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked nine shots to lead Marshall to a 60-53 win on Saturday night.

Tyler Wilkerson had 10 points for the Thundering Herd (4-1), who took a 47-34 lead on Nigel Spikes’ jumper with 11:47 left in the second half. The Bobcats (4-1) trimmed Marshall’s margin to four on a 3-pointer by D.J. Cooper, who finished with 15 points.

But the Thundering Herd withstood Ohio’s attempted rally, holding the Bobcats without a field goal as they made free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Whiteside, who finished with six offensive rebounds, shot 7-for-11 from the field. Marshall outscored the Bobcats in the paint 34-18 and outrebounded them 48-38.

The Thundering Herd shot 39.6 percent from the field (21-for-53), holding Ohio to 25.9 percent (15-for-58).

Tommy Freeman led Ohio with 16 points.