Reeling from a loss to Kansas, No. 9 West Virginia eyed a return to the win column.

The Mountaineers were able to find it against Northeastern on Tuesday, winning 73-51 with forwards Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe combining for 30 points.

Just after the opening tipoff, Culver started hot by scoring 10 points in less than five minutes. Yet, because of the team’s overall struggles on offense, the Huskies were able to keep portions of the first half close.

West Virginia (8-2) concluded the first half on a near-three minute scoring deficit, and had countless stretches where shots would not fall. The team shot 42% from the field in the first half, including an abysmal 1-for-10 from the 3-point line.

Despite the woes, a strong defensive effort hampered Northeastern, giving the Mountaineers a 34-26 lead headed into halftime.

The Mountaineers’ offense blossomed in the first minutes of the second half, eventually growing to a peak of 13 points.

Led by Culver with eight second-half points, West Virginia showed subtle improvement in scoring from the field. With the team totaling 21 more shots than Northeastern, the Huskies were unable to close the gap.

Northeastern (1-5) featured 13 points from guard Quirin Emanga, but the Huskies had their tails between their legs come the end of the game.

Culver (18) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (13) ranked first and second, respectively, in scoring for the Mountaineers, with Tshiebwe (12) coming up third.

Along with 15 rebounds, Tshiebwe earned his second double-double of the season. He led the team in rebounds.

West Virginia will not return to the floor until after New Year’s as the Mountaineers will hit the road to take on Oklahoma on Jan. 2. The game, tipping off at 4 p.m., will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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