Pitts’ 17 points leads Marshall past East Carolina 83-65 in Conference USA action

Pitts’ 17 leads Marshall past East Carolina 83-65

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Damier Pitts scored 17 points to lead Marshall to an 83-65 win over East Carolina on Saturday night.

The Thundering Herd (13-2, 2-0 Conference USA), who won their fourth game in a row, took a 34-21 lead with 3:28 left in the first half on Darryl Merthie’s two free throws.

Chris Lutz finished with 13 points for Marshall, while Tyler Wilkerson and Hassan Whiteside each had 10 points. Whiteside also had five blocked shots.

The Pirates (6-10, 0-2) cut Marshall’s lead to 40-34 with 18:23 left in the second half on a free throw by Jamar Abrams. But East Carolina would get no closer as the Thundering Herd answered with five straight points, pushing their margin to 10.

Brock Young led the Pirates with a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Darrius Morrow had 15 points and seven rebounds.