Not all impacts are felt in the scoring column in the game of basketball.
And that was certainly the case with what Eduardo Andre and Sencire Harris brought to the table in the 73-60 win over Georgetown.
Andre scored four points and three rebound but was a difference maker on the defensive end of the floor with four blocks including several where it led to the Mountaineers getting out in transition.
In a game where West Virginia struggled in the half court in the first half, but Andre’s three blocks in the second half especially a sequence where he got two blocks within three trips down the floor when the Mountaineers were trailing 43-41 with just over 12-minutes left.
“I really felt that Eduardo really ignited some of that for us. Blocked a couple of shots which led us to getting out in transition. We were able to get a couple open looks that we weren’t getting in some of the half-court stuff, and I thought it freed us up a little bit,” head coach Darian DeVries said.
The senior five man is the best shot blocker on the roster for the Mountaineers and made the most of his 16 minutes playing his role on the team to perfection.
“It was good to have him back in the lineup for the reason that presence defensively,” DeVries said.
Harris scored just 6 points on 2-7 shooting but contributed across the board with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a pair of blocks all while playing relentless defense on the other end of the floor. He also helped to lead the break for West Virginia in their second half comeback.
Georgetown guard Jayden Epps was just 1-8 from the field in the second half of the game and was largely the assignment of Harris who was able to force him into contested shots. Compared to the first half where Epps was 5-6 from the field and had 13 points as Georgetown held a narrow halftime lead.
What type of impact did Harris have on the result? West Virginia was +19 with him on the floor, the highest mark of anybody on the roster.
“Sometimes people get so caught up in the scoring and I get it but Buck’s impact on winning with what he did tonight defensively that’s hard to do. To control a guy like Epps and hold him to two points in the second half and go get nine rebounds and lead the break in transition. There’s a lot of things that guys do that impact winning besides scoring and he’s certainly one of them,” DeVries said.
That’s where West Virginia has shown the most growth is that players are starting to understand and embrace their roles in order to be a better overall team. That isn’t easy with a collection of new players coming together, but they’re started to understand their individual efforts combine collectively to give the Mountaineers their best chance against any team on the schedule.
“I feel like that role acceptance on teams is a huge part of winning. And that’s what keeps some teams from winning is the inability for teams to do that and I feel like our guys are completely bought into whatever I’ve got to do to help the team and they’re growing into that now. And that’s fun to see as a coach,” DeVries said.
And the approach of Harris and Andre certainly fit that mold.
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