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West Virginia picks up season's first loss against Marquette

Reserve point guard Malik Curry scored six points for the Mountaineers on Friday.
Reserve point guard Malik Curry scored six points for the Mountaineers on Friday. (WVU Athletics)

West Virginia will not be the champion of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic.

After giving up the lead and struggling to bounce back, the Mountaineers were handed their first loss of the season Friday, losing 82-71 to Marquette.

The game was a slight change of pace from last night's WVU matchup as the Mountaineers opened the game working from behind.

WVU would not stay too far behind, as a 6-0 run allowed them to knot the score at 14 at the under-12 timeout. Moments later, they took hold of the lead and ran with it.

Guard Taz Sherman was the main force behind a 15-2 run, resulting in a Marquette timeout roughly 10 minutes into the game. West Virginia, who held a 23-16 lead at that point, kept pushing forward, building a close but comfortable lead.

On the back of Sherman, who scored 14 first-half points, the Mountaineers entered halftime holding a 46-35 lead.

West Virginia's lead held somewhat steady in the second half before a 13-0 Marquette run gave the Golden Eagles the lead roughly seven minutes in. The Mountaineers struggled on both ends of the floor, leading to Marquette's big break.

Led by two double-digit scorers, the Golden Eagles pushed ahead, but remained within arm's length of the Mountaineers.

As much as West Virginia tried to chip away, the team struggled to sink shots. With Marquette struggling to miss, the Golden Eagles were able to hold on for the 82-71 win.

Stat Attack

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Sherman led the Mountaineers with 21 points.

West Virginia shot 58.1% from the field in the first half, but regressed to 27.3% in the second half.

Marquette shot 64% from the field in the second half, bouncing back after shooting 43.8% in the first half.

With six, Jalen Bridges led the Mountaineers in rebounds.

The Mountaineers ended the night with only three fastbreak points, while Marquette tallied 15.

Up Next

West Virginia returns to the court on Sunday, taking on Clemson at 5 p.m.

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