Tuesday night was an important opportunity for the Mountaineers — one they took full advantage of.
West Virginia had their last Quad 1 opportunity of the regular season against Utah, and they helped get one step closer to solidifying themselves in the NCAA Tournament picture with a 71-69 win over the Utes.
West Virginia led for the final 3:42 of the game but did everything they could to try and lose the game in the closing seconds. Utah's Gabe Madsen attempted a halfcourt heave, but it was blocked, seasling the win for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia’s resumé was in a solid place entering the night, but they certainly wouldn’t have minded getting a big boost with a Quad 1 victory. They did just that as they battled through a back-and-forth affair after trailing by as many as 12 in the first half, taking the lead at the half.
Utah came out of the gates on fire, especially from beyond the arc. Gabe Madsen led the charge for the Utes as his team had more makes from beyond the arc (4) than WVU had from the field (3) as Utah led 16-7, with that lead increasing to as large as 19-7.
West Virginia’s offense went on a cold stretch to start the game, going 3-for-13 from the field. The Mountaineers would go on a 7-0 run in 56 seconds to force a Utah timeout as the deficit was cut to five with 9:52 to play. The next basket for either team did not come until the 5:54 mark as the flow of the game was fast, but neither offense could take advantage. Jonathan Powell hit a 3-pointer for the Mountaineers to break the drought, capping off a 10-0 WVU run. The two teams would trade baskets down the stretch until a Javon Small 3-pointer gave the Mountaineers a 30-27 lead in the final minute of the half, before carrying a 30-29 lead to the locker room.
The second half was just like the first, both teams trading baskets, but neither team took firm control of things.
Utah seemed to have a shot to do that as an 8-0 run put them up 44-36 with 14:06 to play. The Mountaineers answered eight back with two baskets in a row, before Small got loose near the baseline and slammed home a dunk to cut Utah’s lead to 49-48 with 9:20 to play.
Turnovers plagued both teams throughout the night, but especially throughout points in the second half. The Mountaineers turned the ball over eight times in the first half, while the Utes turned the ball over 10 times. Within the first 12 minutes of the second half, WVU's total was up to 12 turnovers, while Utah's total was up to 15.
The Mountaineers were able to retake the lead on a Powell 3-pointer, but then Powell would be caught on the defensive end on the next two possessions, being called for a foul on each. Those two possessions sandwiched a made 3-pointer from Amani Hansberry, but the game was tied at 54-54.
The next eight combined points from each team would come from the free throw line and that's until Small and Eduardo Andre took over for the Mountaineers.
Andre, who went down in the first half after taking an elbow to the face, had his nose plugged and it was bleeding throughout the second half. He grabbed two crucial rebounds which led to a 3-pointer from Small to give WVU the lead, and then he caught a lob from Small, as Utah called a timeout with 2:42 to play and the Mountaineers in front 63-58.
Out of the timeout, former WVU interim head coach Josh Eilert turned to Madsen who delivered, connecting on a 3-pointer. Joe Yesufu would then hit a 3-pointer on the other end to answer the make from the Utes.
West Virginia was able to force a miss on the next possession, but Utah grabbed the board and took it to the rim where Andre fouled Mike Sharavjamts who split a pair of free throws and put WVU's lead at 66-62 with 1:30 to play. Small would miss a 3-pointer and Toby Okani would foul on the rebound attempt, sending Madsen to the line with 1:03 to play. Madsen made both, as WVU led 66-64.
Small answered back as he dribbled away from the defense and hit a runner to give WVU a four-point lead with less than 40 seconds to play. WVU then got a stop on the defensive end, before Yesufu was fouled with 12.4 seconds remaining. He made both free throws, to put the Mountaineers in front by six. Madsen made a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left and then Powell turned the ball over on the inbounds and it led to a Utah layup.
Harris was then fouled with 1.2 seconds to play and he made one, before Madsen's shot was blocked as the clock expired, sealing the win for the Mountaineers.
Utah shot 32 free throws on the game, making 22 of them. WVU shot 16 free throws, making 11 of them. WVU shot 46 percent from the field, going 8-for-23 from beyond the arc. Utah shot 38 percent from the field, going 9-for-28 from three.
Small led WVU with 18 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
West Virginia led for 7:06 of the game, while Utah led for 28:43. After regaining the lead with 3:42 to play, the Mountaineers would not give it up for the rest of regulation. WVU ended Utah's five-game home win streak and earned their sixth Quad 1 game of the season.
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