West Virginia needed a win in the worst way as they hosted Utah on Saturday at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers came into the game losing four of their last five, and Utah represented a Quad 3 opponent, a loss that would send WVU further towards the bubble and away from feeling like having a solid resumé.
West Virginia would get the win they craved as their supporting cast stepped up in a big way lifting the Mountaineers to a 72-61 win.
It was a back-and-forth first half, before West Virginia pulled away in the final minutes. Utah took an early 6-0 lead, but WVU responded with a run of their own, taking an 8-6 lead. The lead teetered back and forth between both the Utes and Mountaineers, before Utah tied the game at 24-24 with 4:02 to play in the first half.
West Virginia would go on a 12-3 run to close the half, using play from everyone not named Javon Small.
Out of the media timeout, Toby Okani made an easy layup, followed by a 3-pointer from Amani Hansberry. Utah responded with a three of their own, before Okani got a steal which turned into a transition bucket for Joe Yesufu. Small then got a steal leading to another Yesufu bucket, before Okani met Utah’s Lawson Lovering at the rim for a rejection, before Small found Okani for a 3-pointer, putting the Mountaineers ahead 36-27, which is the lead they would take into halftime.
Small not being the primary scoring option for West Virginia was something that was a welcomed sight for the Mountaineers. In the first half, Small only attempted only three shots from the field, while his teammates took 26 combined shots.
The second half started similarly for West Virginia as Small was distributing and rebounding rather than just being a scorer. That was until the Mountaineers needed a bucket and Small stepped up.
With WVU leading by eight, the Mountaineers were on what was almost a three-minute scoring drought. That was until Small took the ball to the rim, making the layup, drawing the foul, and converting the three-point-play, putting WVU back in front by 11 with 13:22 to play.
Small finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, and eight assists, as he was more of a facilitator than the go-to scorer for the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers would continue to hold on down the stretch due to the play of their defense.
West Virginia held Utah to just 41 percent shooting from the field, while they also held the Utes to go 6-for-23 from beyond the arc. At the same time, the Mountaineers forced 10 turnovers, turning into 16 points.
Utah would get within seven points as West Virginia called a timeout with 10:16 to play due to sloppy play from the Mountaineers leading to easy points for the Utes.
Out of the timeout Hansberry knocked down a 3-pointer to breathe life into the Mountaineers. That fresh life didn't last long though as Utah was able to cut the West Virginia lead to six at the under-eight media timeout.
Utah would hang around, keeping things within 6-8 points for almost five minutes. That was until Jonathan Powell and the Mountaineers turned up the pressure, as Powell turned a steal into a layup, putting the Mountaineers ahead 64-54 with 4:01 to play.
Utah called a timeout and regrouped and cut the West Virginia lead to five as Jake Wahlin scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer as WVU led 64-59 with 2:59 to play.
Powell would then line up a 3-pointer from the top of the arc which rattled in to put WVU back in front by eight. The Mountaineers then got a stop off a missed shot before Small was fouled and went to the free throw line, who made two free throws to put WVU in front by 10 with under two minutes to play.
The nail would be put in the coffin by West Virginia as they forced a turnover, before Yesufu scored a layup with the shot clock winding down. WVU then got another stop leading to a made free throw by Powell.
West Virginia had four scorers score 11 or more points, led by Hansberry who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The win marks WVU's first win over Utah in program history. Utah had won the first six matchups, with the last matchup coming in 1998.
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