West Virginia's start on Friday was shaky. Having not played a game in a week, the Mountaineers hosted Georgetown, and the rust showed itself early.
The Mountaineers would finally settle in, though, going on a 16-0 run in the second half, propelling them to a 73-60 win at the WVU Coliseum.
WVU took an early 7-3 lead against the Hoyas, but that would not last long as Georgetown went on a 9-0 run to take a 14-9 lead with 12:37 to play in the first half. West Virginia struggled to find a rhythm on offense, as Javon Small was the only reliable option for the Mountaineers on offense.
Small scored 13 points in the first half as WVU battled all half but trailed 30-28 at the break. Without Small’s contributions, the Mountaineers shot 33 percent from the field, going 3-for-11 from three in the opening 20 minutes.
To start the second half, it was a heightened effort on the defensive end from West Virginia, but they were unable to turn it into points.
West Virginia did not record a made basket until the 15:58 mark of the second half, cutting Georgetown’s lead to one off a 3-pointer from Toby Okani. Tucker DeVries would then hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 36-36.
Georgetown led by four with 14:04 to play before the Mountaineers were finally able to piece offense and defense together.
West Virginia would go on a 16-0 run spanning from the 13:04 mark until the 8:34 mark of the second half. The Mountaineers made two 3-pointers during the run, helping them take a 55-43 lead.
That would not deter Georgetown as they answered back with a 7-0 run, cutting WVU’s lead to 55-50 with 5:18 to play.
The Mountaineers would score four straight points before the Hoyas hit a big 3-pointer. WVU then turned to DeVries, who knocked down a 3-pointer, and then Sencire Harris made a layup to put West Virginia ahead by 11 with 2:32 to play.
Georgetown responded with a 3-pointer, but West Virginia connected when they needed to.
Small banked in a 3-pointer before Okani slammed home a dunk after a steal from Harris, sending Mountaineer fans into a frenzy.
Small finished the game with 26 points, the fourth time this season he's scored 23 points or more. WVU shot 46 percent from the field, making 34.6 percent of their shots from three.
Georgetown shot 38 percent from the field, and made as many 3-pointers as the Mountaineers, but turned it over 14 times leading to 19 points for WVU.
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