West Virginia improved to 2-0 on the season with a 68-53 road win over Pitt (2-2) in the Backyard Brawl Friday night.
Oscar Tshiebwe got West Virginia on the board first to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead. The score would stay like that for over a minute until Tshiebwe scored in the paint to extend West Virginia’s lead to 4-0.
Prior to Tshiebwe’s layup, Jermaine Haley picked up two fouls in less than a minute which put him on the bench and Taz Sherman in his place. Pitt’s Terrell Brown also committed two early fouls and was sent to the bench.
Pitt didn’t get on the board until the 16:35 mark when Ryan Murphy converted a three-point play to cut West Virginia’s lead in half.
A three-pointer from Emmitt Matthews gave the Mountaineers a 9-3 advantage, but the Panthers would go on a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead over the Mountaineers at 10-9.
The Mountaineers were able to take a seven-point lead later on during the first half with the help of a pair of three-pointers from Sean McNeil and back-to-back baskets from Tshiebwe, putting the score at 23-16.
McNeil’s first three-pointer also ended a field goal drought for West Virginia that lasted over five minutes.
With West Virginia leading, 31-24, Pitt closed the first half on an 11-5 run, but the Mountaineers still held a one-point lead going into the locker room.
Halftime stats:
The Mountaineers opened the second half on a 6-0 run which extended their lead to 42-35 over the Panthers.
West Virginia would then take an eight-point lead with a three-pointer from Jordan McCabe which followed two free throws from Pitt’s Justin Champagnie. But that lead would later increase to 12 points following a 6-0 run from the Mountaineers.
A 5-0 run from the Panthers followed which narrowed West Virginia’s lead down to seven points, but the Mountaineers answered right back with a three-pointer from Matthews. A pair of free throws from Tshiebwe then gave the Mountaineers a 12-point advantage.
Pitt continued to struggle offensively during the second half and West Virginia later extended its lead to 16 points with a 6-0 run.
From there, West Virginia was able to hold off the Panthers and seal the game for its second win of the season.
Next up for West Virginia is a home matchup against Northern Colorado Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
Final Stats:
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