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The Thundering Herd (1-0) opened the 2024-25 season with a 90-57 victory over Davis & Elkins College (0-1) behind Wyatt Fricks’ double-double and double-digit points from three other players Monday night at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.

“I thought we played hard. I’d like to see us shoot the ball better, but those guys were pretty physical,� Jackson said. “I thought we matched that, but we’ve been talking since the Pikeville [exhibition] game, when people come to the Henderson Center we want to set the tone, we don’t want to match anyone’s energy, they should be matching us.�

The Herd jumped out to a 13-4 lead by the first stoppage in play around five minutes into the game and led 37-24 at the break after getting 14 points from Obinna-Anochilli Killen in the first half.

“It really feels good to be in front of a crowd,� Anochili-Killen said of the nearly 4,000 fans who showed up for the first regular season game. “I didn’t play the other day and this game that we played tonight was just awesome. We didn’t have a full packed house, but it was enough to bring the energy.�

He finished with a team-high 18 points, six rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor. Fricks led all rebounders with 11 and chipped in 15 points. Nate Martin matched that scoring output and Ryan Nutter scored 11.

In all, 14 players saw the floor and all but three of those scored at least two points in the winning effort. The only two players that didn’t see time on the floor for the Herd were guards Jalen Speer and Dezayne Mingo, for reasons undisclosed.

The Herd opened things up in the second half with an 11-2 run that ballooned the lead to 22 less than five minutes into the second half, and the home team controlled the pace from there on out.

Davis & Elkins was led in scoring by Malachi Hampton, who netted 10, while four other players had at least six. The biggest issue for the Senators was turnovers, coughing it up 22 times, 16 of which were credited as steals for Marshall.

Jackson said he was proud of the overall effort but would like to see his squad turn in a better shooting performance Saturday when Marshall hosts Toledo. While the team shot 47 percent from the floor, it was just 8 of 34 from beyond the arc.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well the last two days in practice and I was hoping that would change today,� Jackson said. “We’re trying to do the right things and share the ball, play with physicality and trying to do the right things defensively, those shots will fall. I’m confident in these guys.�