At long last, West Virginia tipped off on its home turf.
After some schedule shuffling earlier in the week, the No. 11 Mountaineers hosted North Texas on Friday afternoon, earning a 62-50 victory
To characterize the play of West Virginia (5-1) in the first half as poor would be an understatement. The Mountaineers entered halftime facing a 29-21 deficit, due to a collection of struggles on both sides of the floor.
With seven points, guard Sean McNeil was the team’s leading scorer in the first half. He was effectively the only positive offensive contributor of the Mountaineers’ starting five early on, with the group combining to go 5-for-24 from the field.
The Mountaineers also struggled defensively, allowing North Texas (1-3) to shoot 59% from the field in the first half. The Mean Green entered halftime having made five consecutive baskets.
West Virginia came out strong in the second half, taking the lead away from North Texas within the first four minutes.
Led by forward Derek Culver and his 10 second-half points, the Mountaineers’ lead blossomed to 13 at its peak.
North Texas, who had shot nearly 60% from the field in the first half, floundered dramatically after halftime. The Mean Green were able to convert only 18% of their shots from the field in the second half, making West Virginia’s lead insurmountable.
McNeil ended the afternoon as the Mountaineers’ top scorer, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from the 3-point line.
Following McNeil for WVU was guard Taz Sherman with 13 points and Culver with 10 points.
Culver led the Mountaineers with 10 rebounds, achieving another double-double. Gabe Osabuohien finished second with nine.
The Mountaineers will stay in Morgantown for their next matchup, taking on the No. 19 Richmond Spiders on Sunday. The 1 p.m. tipoff will be broadcast on ESPN.
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