HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Trailing by 14 with 1:05 left on the clock, Texas State was able to get within five but could not get any closer as Marshall won 77-71 Thursday night in the Cam Henderson Center.
 
With the result, the Bobcats drop to 8-6 on the season and the Thundering Herd are now 8-7 overall. Both teams sit at 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
 
Tyrel Morgan led the way offensively for TXST with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and five made free throws. He also finished with five rebounds and three steals. Kaden Gumbs added 10 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and dished out a team best two assists.
 
Coming off the bench, Coleton Benson knocked down three long-distance shots and went 5-for-5 at the charity stripe to net 16 points.
 
Joshua O'Garro fell just short of a double-double with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
The game began with the Thundering Herd scoring 19 of the first 23 points of the contest over the first seven and a half minutes. After they took their largest lead at 27-11 with 8:21 on the clock, Coleton Benson knocked down a long distance shot over former Bobcat Nate Martin to kick start a 14-5 run that cut the deficit to seven with 2:12 left on the clock.
 
However, Marshall scored the final five points of the period to take a 37-25 lead into halftime.
 
After the Bobcats scored eight of the first 11 points of the second half, the teams were basically trading points for a 10-minute stretch. The Herd extended their advantage to 75-61 with 1:05 remaining in the contest after two free throws by Dezayne Mingo.
 
Next time down the court, Benson was fouled on a three-point shot that went in. He knocked down the free throw to convert the four-point play. The teams traded a free throw apiece and Dylan Dawson would hit a shot from beyond the arc with 30 seconds remaining to get the deficit to seven.
 
The defense got a stop and Morgan was fouled on a driving layup attempt. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week made both free throws to get the score to within five.
 
Mingo missed both of his free throws on the other end of the court to keep Texas State's hopes alive. Drue Drinnon drove to the basket for a layup attempt and got taken out on a hard hit by Obinna Anochili-Killen that saw no whistle being blown. Mingo grabbed the loose ball and was fouled with 4.4 to play that sealed the game for the hosts.
 
This weekend's road trip concludes for the Bobcats on Saturday when they play at App State. The tip for the game is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
 
Stay up to date on everything Texas State men's basketball by following the team on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.