WVU outlasts Lehigh 78-68

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West Virginia did just enough to outlast Lehigh 78-68 prior to the Mountaineers jumping head first into Big 12 Conference play later this week.

Freshman point guard Jordan McCabe made the first start of his college career joining junior Chase Harler, junior Wesley Harris, senior Esa Ahmad and junior Logan Routt. Junior center Sagaba Konate continued to sit out as he battled a lingering knee injury.

West Virginia was led in scoring by upperclassmen Ahmad with 21 points and junior guard Beetle Bolden with 22 points. Freshman Derek Culver made the most of his time on the floor as well scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his first double-double.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 7-2 lead with McCabe hitting a three in that run over the first three minutes of the game. The Mountain Hawks could cut into the deficit to a single point at 9-8 at the 15:47 mark as West Virginia looked to establish an early rhythm.

West Virginia maintained an 18-16 edge at the 11:03 mark of the first half as the Mountaineers were able to force four turnovers without committing one themselves. The lead would sit at 26-25 as the clock ticked under four minutes in the first half as both teams see-saw back and forth throughout the first frame.

The Mountaineers would take a 38-34 lead into halftime to get a little breathing room.

The second half would continue to be a tight knit affair through the early goings as the Mountain Hawks knotted the game at 38 over the first two minutes before the Mountaineers recorded their first basket a triple from Ahmad.

Another Ahmad three-pointer would push the advantage out to 48-44 with 14:25 remaining in the game as the two teams continued to exchange blows.

The Mountaineers were able to create some distance at 59-52 but a three-pointer as the shot clock was expiring and a basket off a layup put the game to only a two-point edge.

However, Culver would take over in the paint scoring five straight to give West Virginia a 67-59 lead with 5:04 remaining in the game and from there they would be able to hold off Lehigh.

West Virginia will open Big 12 Conference play Wednesday night by hosting Texas Tech inside the Coliseum with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

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