WVU drops Big 12 opener to Texas Tech, 62-59
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West Virginia (8-5, 0-1) dropped its Big 12 opener to No. 11 Texas Tech (12-1, 1-0) Wednesday night by a score of 62-59 inside the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers held an eight-point lead in the first half but saw it evaporate as turnovers, missed free throws and missed opportunities plagued West Virginia, leading to a loss in its Big 12 opener despite a strong second half effort in a back-and-forth contest.
West Virginia was led by Lamont West's 22 points and freshman Derek Culver’s 12 points. The Red Raiders were led by Jarrett Culver's 18 points.
Texas Tech got on the board first with a layup from Davide Moretti and the two teams went back-and-forth before West Virginia took its first lead of the game at 7-6 with a jumper from James “Beetle” Bolden.
The Mountaineers then extended its one-point lead to four with a three-pointer from West and another three-pointer from West gave West Virginia a 13-8 lead at the 10:45 mark in the first half.
That lead was extended to eight points with a layup from Culver and a three-point play from Bolden as West Virginia held Texas Tech scoreless for over three minutes.
However, poor free throw shooting, turnovers and missed opportunities allowed Texas Tech to climb back into the game later on as the Red Raiders closed the first half on an 8-1 run.
Although Texas Tech didn’t make one three-pointer during the first half and shot just 29 percent from the floor, one of the biggest differences during the game’s first 20 minutes was West Virginia’s inability to make free throws as the Mountaineers were just 4-of-12 from the line in the first half.
The Mountaineers shot 40 percent from the floor during the first half and Texas Tech’s leading scorer in Jarrett Culver was held scoreless during the first half as he committed three fouls and attempted just one shot.
Texas Tech regained the lead in the beginning of the second half as the Red Raiders opened the half on an 11-0 run, taking a 31-22 lead.
West Virginia got its first points of the second half with a pair of free throws from Culver almost four minutes into the half.
Back-and-forth scoring then occurred between the two teams and West Virginia would inch closer to Texas Tech as West made three consecutive free throws after he was fouled on a three-point attempt to bring the Mountaineers within four points.
Texas Tech, though, extended its lead to 37-31 with a layup from Culver which came after a turnover from Brandon Knapper.
West Virginia would answer back later on with a pair of Culver free throws and a three-point play from Esa Ahmad which cut West Virginia’s deficit down to just two points with just under nine minutes remaining.
The Mountaineers then regained the lead with back-to-back three’s from Jermaine Haley and West and led 44-43 with 6:56 to go.
Texas Tech got the lead back with a three-pointer from Brandone Francis but back-to-back baskets from West gave West Virginia a 48-46 advantage.
The Red Raiders tied it up at 48 but West Virginia would take a 49-48 lead a free throw from Ahmad. Culver answered for Texas Tech with a layup but Haley answered right back with a three-pointer, giving West Virginia a 52-50 lead. The back-and-forth action continued as Culver tied the game up with two free throws.
Despite two free throws from Ahmad, the Red Raiders used a three-pointer from Moretti to take a 55-54 lead with 2:07 remaining.
Turnovers from West Virginia near the end led to Texas Tech sealing the game with free throws as a halfcourt heave from Knapper that would've tied the game at the buzzer fell short.
The Mountaineers will next face Texas on the road this Saturday for a 9 p.m. ET tip-off.
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