GAME NOTES: Desperately trying to put an end to a seven-game losing streak, the Marshall Thundering Herd will hit the road again as they take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in a Conference USA clash at FAU Arena.

Marshall has dropped seven games in a row and 13 of its last 14 games altogether. The Herd are a miserable 0-6 on the road, and own an 0-4 record against Conference USA competition.

This could be the game Florida Atlantic puts a stop to a losing streak of its own. The Owls have dropped four consecutive games going back to December, and have a similar 0-4 conference record to Marshall. FAU is 5-2 at home this season.

These two teams have met only twice in their series history, with FAU getting a win last season on the road and Marshall taking a victory in the conference tournament at a neutral site. The two sides are scheduled to play twice in the regular season this year.

It was a perfect setup for Marshall to end its losing streak on Thursday night. The Herd were ahead by 18 points in the first half over FIU on the road, but blew a 15-point halftime lead in the second period as the Panthers tied it at the end of regulation, 59-59, to send it to overtime. In the extra session, Marshall simply had the wind knocked from its sails as the Herd were taken down, 66-62. Justin Edmonds netted 15 points to lead the Thundering Herd in the hard-to-swallow defeat, while Ryan Taylor posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, adding in four steals with six turnovers. Austin Loop chipped in 11 points for Marshall.

Taylor has been the only bright spot for the Thundering Herd this season, as he enters Saturday's Conference USA clash netting a team-best 13.9 ppg and bringing down another team high in rebounding at 8.2 boards per outing. Add in 15 blocked shots and 50 assists, and Taylor presents himself as a well-rounded player. Loop is the only other player to average a double-digit scoring total at 11.5 ppg, although Shawn Smith, who has been out since the fifth game of the season, owns a 12.0 ppg mark. Marshall as a unit is netting 66.4 ppg, but is giving up a whopping 71.1 ppg to opponents.

FAU endured its own overtime game against Western Kentucky on Thursday evening, although unlike Marshall's contest against FIU, this seemed to be knotted right from the start. Three Owls scored at least 20 points in the 88-85 overtime loss to the Hilltoppers, led by Marquan Botley's 22 points and six assists. Solomon Poole chipped in with 21 points, and Jackson Trapp rebounded from a sub-par contest against Middle Tennessee with a 20-point, six-rebound effort.

Poole has played in only about half of FAU's games this season, but since returning to the lineup, he has been an offensive force. The junior guard is netting 15.6 ppg in eight games played, and owns a 3.6 rpg mark. Botley leads the team in scoring amongst those that have played in all 15 contests with 11.9 ppg, though he's followed closely by Trapp's 11.8 ppg average. Kelvin Penn has maintained 6.9 rpg through 15 games, while Justin Raffington owns a 7.3 rpg mark through eight contests. FAU heads into Saturday scoring a mere 63.6 ppg, but the team is holding its opponents to just 63.3 ppg this season as well.

One of these two floundering teams will pick up a win on Saturday, although neither will be put back into the Conference USA race as a result. At home and with a potentially potent offense, FAU should have the upper hand.