Recap: Middle Tennessee vs. Marshall

Murfreesboro, TN (Sports Network) - LaRon Dendy recorded a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders to an 86-78 decision over the Marshall Thundering Herd in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament at the Murphy Center.

JT Sulton added 16 points for Middle Tennessee (26-6), while Shawn Jones chipped in 15 points off the bench. Raymond Cintron netted 12 points as the Blue Raiders earned their spot in next round of the NIT to face their in-state rival Tennessee Volunteers.

Damier Pitts led the way for Marshall (21-14) with 19 points. Dennis Tinnon contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, DeAndre Kane scored 13 points, and Shaquille Johnson got into the mix with 11 points. Nigel Spikes was a spark off the bench with 10 points for the Thundering Herd.

The Blue Raiders had a strong showing out of the gate as they knocked down 53.6 percent of their field goals to take a 39-30 lead into the intermission. Marshall fell behind after its shot 42.9 percent from the floor and went 2- of-8 from beyond the arc in the opening period.

The Thundering Herd improved after the break and hit 6-of-11 from three-point range while converting 12-of-16 from the charity stripe. However, Middle Tennessee would not surrender its lead as it made 51.5 percent of its field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes to stay on top. After trailing by 21 points with 8:31 left to play, Marshall rallied and trailed just 80-75 after a Johnson layup with 1:43 left. The Thundering Herd saw their season end as they could not get any closer the rest of the way.

The Blue Raiders held a 38-36 advantage in the rebounding battle.