HUNTINGTON - The last time Marshall scored 100 points in men's basketball, the Thundering Herd football team was on the eve of winning a bowl game.

Yes, it's been THAT long. When the Herd waylaid WVU Tech 110-57 Sunday in its season opener, it snapped a six-year drought of scoring double figures, both overall and at home. The last time the Herd hit the century mark came in an overtime defeat, 101-100 at Morehead State on Dec. 17, 2002.

The last time the third digit was needed on the Cam Henderson Center scoreboard came a few weeks earlier, when the Herd dumped Kentucky State 112-78. Marshall went its last 23 games under Greg White, the entire Ron Jirsa era and the first season under Donnie Jones without hitting (or even threatening) the 100-point mark.

Before a crowd of 4,271 at Cam Henderson Center yearning to forget football futility, the Herd hit triple digits before the final radio timeout. And while they knew their troops were running an NAIA squad ragged, they were appreciative.

So was Jones, who saw five players hit double figures and all 13 score. The playing time was spread as evenly as you could expect, with everyone playing from nine to 23 minutes, and Jones was pleased to have his recently sidelined starters back in the lineup.

"Tonight was the night we had the opportunity to go full strength for the first time," Jones said. "It was nice to see Markel Humphrey, Tyler Wilkerson and Tirrell Baines back in the lineup, to go 13 deep now. We had an opportunity to play a lot of guys, and as a coaching staff we're still trying to figure out our rotations, where to play guys and who to bring off the bench, energy guys and who can play different spots, run different plays for different people.

"So there's a lot of shuffling going on. It's still early, and we're still trying to figure it out because we've been so unhealthy. We haven't had the luxury of having our best players in practice every day."

Marshall shot 54.1 percent from the floor, hit 10 3-point goals and forced the Golden Bears (4-3) into 23 turnovers. The Herd held the Bears to 34.3 percent shooting and dominated the boards 57-29.

Shaquille Johnson led the Herd onslaught with 19 points, hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 overall. He scored 15 of those in the second half, when the Herd blitzed Tech for 61 points and stretched a 49-28 halftime lead.

In the first half, it was Humphrey and Wilkerson who made their statements. Both have been fighting injuries and were once expected to miss this game and the remainder of the Glenn Wilkes Classic, coming this weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla.

HUNTINGTON - The last time Marshall scored 100 points in men's basketball, the Thundering Herd football team was on the eve of winning a bowl game.

Yes, it's been THAT long. When the Herd waylaid WVU Tech 110-57 Sunday in its season opener, it snapped a six-year drought of scoring double figures, both overall and at home. The last time the Herd hit the century mark came in an overtime defeat, 101-100 at Morehead State on Dec. 17, 2002.

The last time the third digit was needed on the Cam Henderson Center scoreboard came a few weeks earlier, when the Herd dumped Kentucky State 112-78. Marshall went its last 23 games under Greg White, the entire Ron Jirsa era and the first season under Donnie Jones without hitting (or even threatening) the 100-point mark.

Before a crowd of 4,271 at Cam Henderson Center yearning to forget football futility, the Herd hit triple digits before the final radio timeout. And while they knew their troops were running an NAIA squad ragged, they were appreciative.

So was Jones, who saw five players hit double figures and all 13 score. The playing time was spread as evenly as you could expect, with everyone playing from nine to 23 minutes, and Jones was pleased to have his recently sidelined starters back in the lineup.

"Tonight was the night we had the opportunity to go full strength for the first time," Jones said. "It was nice to see Markel Humphrey, Tyler Wilkerson and Tirrell Baines back in the lineup, to go 13 deep now. We had an opportunity to play a lot of guys, and as a coaching staff we're still trying to figure out our rotations, where to play guys and who to bring off the bench, energy guys and who can play different spots, run different plays for different people.

"So there's a lot of shuffling going on. It's still early, and we're still trying to figure it out because we've been so unhealthy. We haven't had the luxury of having our best players in practice every day."

Marshall shot 54.1 percent from the floor, hit 10 3-point goals and forced the Golden Bears (4-3) into 23 turnovers. The Herd held the Bears to 34.3 percent shooting and dominated the boards 57-29.

Shaquille Johnson led the Herd onslaught with 19 points, hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 overall. He scored 15 of those in the second half, when the Herd blitzed Tech for 61 points and stretched a 49-28 halftime lead.

In the first half, it was Humphrey and Wilkerson who made their statements. Both have been fighting injuries and were once expected to miss this game and the remainder of the Glenn Wilkes Classic, coming this weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Wilkerson missed the Herd's first shot of the game, but Humphrey hauled the ball down and tossed it in the basket, drawing a foul and earning a three-point play in the process. Humphrey scored eight of his 14 points in the first half.

"I was definitely excited, man," Humphrey said. "Just to come out there with a new team, just trying to be aggressive."

Wilkerson, only cleared to practice Friday, struck for 11 of his 13 points and seven of his eight rebounds in the half. He scored on dunks and stickbacks, but perhaps his best maneuver came with the game still at 31-20, when he knocked a Tech pass away, then dashed to the other end to take a Chris Lutz pass and lay it in.

That ignited a 15-4 run.

"He came back to practice, he gets undercut, he falls down on his hand, he bruises his elbow really bad, he get a bad bruise in his knee. He's had more things happen to him in three days, but he competes," Jones said. "When you play hard and compete, you get some bruises. But I'm really excited about the new Tyler Wilkerson."

Lutz scored 14 points, hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Darryl Merthie had 10 points, eight of them after halftime. Merthie's two free throws gave the Herd 101 with 4:57 left, and Adam Williams filled out the MU scoresheet with a crowd-pleasing dunk with 49 seconds left.

Sam Robertson led the Bears with 24 points and eight rebounds. Victor McGee scored 12.

"I want to reach out and compliment West Virginia Tech's team," Jones said. "They came out ready, and [coach Bob Johnson] had done a very good job up there. His team competed; obviously I thought they got a little tired toward the end, but that's what our style of play can do."

Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.