WVU rolls past Texas 86-51
No. 6/7 West Virginia (16-3, 5-2) snapped its two-game losing streak by defeating Texas (12-7, 3-4) by a score of 86-51 inside the Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
After surrendering double-digit leads in each of their past two games, the Mountaineers built off of their 10-point halftime lead and outscored the Longhorns 54-29 in the second half. The Mountaineers shot 46 percent from the field and 52 percent from downtown, but it was free throws that would cost Texas throughout the game as the Longhorns shot 14-of-22 from the line to West Virginia’s 12-of-12 .
West Virginia senior guard Jevon Carter led the Mountaineers with 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Sophomore James “Beetle” Bolden finished with 19 points and senior guard Daxter Miles Jr. had 15.
For Texas, freshman big man Mohamed Bamba scored nine points and hauled in 13 rebounds to go along with four blocks.
Carter started the scoring with a quick shot in the paint after grabbing his own rebound, but Texas would jump out to an early 10-6 lead with the help of Bamba’s presence in the paint. At the 15:29 mark in the first half, Bamba had four points and three blocks and Texas had an 8-2 advantage in the paint.
West Virginia would then answer back with an 8-0 run that included two three-pointers from Bolden, who then drew two offensive fouls during a span where Texas turned the ball over on three straight offensive possessions.
The Mountaineers held Texas scoreless for nearly four minutes, but Matt Coleman ended the drought for the Longhorns with a jump shot which sparked a 10-3 run for Texas. At the 7:58 mark in the first half, West Virginia had taken twice as many shots (22) as Texas (11), but connected on just seven of them.
Miles ended Texas’ run with fast break layup which sparked a 13-0 run for West Virginia as the Mountaineers led 30-20 with less than two minutes remaining until halftime. During this span, West Virginia’s defense held Texas scoreless for nearly eight minutes and forced Texas to miss nine straight shots from the field.
West Virginia ended the first half on a 15-2 run and took a 32-22 lead into halftime. Bolden led the Mountaineers with nine first half points. Bolden though left the game in the first half with a strained groin. Carter was behind him with seven points and Miles had six.
After holding an early 8-2 advantage in the paint, Texas’ points in the paint fell to just a 12-10 advantage after the first half. The Longhorns also struggled at the free throw line in the first half, shooting just 5-of-10 from the line to West Virginia’s 4-of-4.
West Virginia extended its lead to 41-28 early in the second half, but five straight points from Texas would narrow its deficit to eight points with 15:07 left to play. The Mountaineers kept its distance from the Longhorns and held a 45-35 lead at the 11:56 mark.
After four straight points from Texas’ Dylan Osetkowski, the Mountaineers would then use a 17-2 run to take a commanding lead 62-39 lead with 6:42 remaining.
From there, West Virginia leave no chance for Texas to make a second half comeback, earning a 86-51 victory.
The Mountaineers will hit the road to face No. 24/25 TCU on Monday for a 9 p.m. tipoff.
