WVU beats Western Kentucky, escapes with Crossover Classic title

West Virginia will leave South Dakota with more hardware to add to the trophy cabinet.

The No.15 Mountaineers were crowned the first-ever champion of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic on Friday, defeating the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers by a final score of 70-64.

For most of the first half, the two teams were fairly evenly-matched. Yet, Western Kentucky (2-1) was just a touch better.

Aided by a well-rounded offense, the Hilltoppers shot 51.7% from the field in the first half, a subtle but noticeable improvement over the Mountaineers’ 44.8%.

West Virginia (3-0) saw success with its rotations as the Mountaineers held the first-half advantage in bench scoring, but it wasn’t enough of a factor.

There were 12 lead changes in the first half, but it was the Hilltoppers that went into the locker room holding a 36-33 lead — the Mountaineers’ first halftime deficit this season.

Western Kentucky’s lead continued to grow in the second half, eventually growing to 10 at its largest.

While Western Kentucky’s lead grew to 10 during the first few minutes of the second half, the Mountaineers went on a 14-4 run to tie the score at 52. After the Mountaineers recovered the lead with a 3-pointer from Taz Sherman, the team’s offense continued to find ways to score.

The Hilltoppers called a timeout with just under four minutes remaining facing a 64-55 deficit, but their adjustments weren't enough. West Virginia was able to hold off the Western Kentucky offense, giving the Mountaineers a 70-64 win.

Derek Culver led West Virginia in scoring, totaling 15 points on 7-of-12 scoring from the field. Miles McBride ended the afternoon with 14 points, while Sherman contributed 12.

Gabe Osabuohien led the Mountaineers with eight rebounds, and he was closely followed up by Oscar Tshiebwe with seven. Culver, who brought in 15 against VCU on Thursday, only came down with one.

This is the second year in a row that the Mountaineers have won an in-season tournament after West Virginia won the Cancun Challenge a year ago.

The Mountaineers will be off until Wednesday when they take on the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game is part of the Jimmy V Classic.

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