West Virginia Bounces Back with 89-71 Win Over Portland State in PK85

PORTLAND — West Virginia bounced back in the second round of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament, defeating Portland State 89-71. WVU will play for fifth place on Sunday against Florida.

West Virginia’s (5-1) offense was able to get it going again on Friday, shooting 61 percent from the field. The Mountaineers had 29 fast break points, led by Kedrian Johnson who created four steals to start transition.

WVU’s defense was ride or die at times. The Mountaineers forced 24 Portland State (2-4) turnovers and scored 31 points off of those. But at times, PSU got into the paint whenever they wanted to.

WVU F Tre Mitchell bounced back on Friday, recording 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Mitchell played in just 19 minutes against Purdue as the senior was in foul trouble the majority of the game.

Mid-way through the second half, West Virginia was up 60-40. In three minutes, the Vikings cut their deficit in half to 10. Three layups were given up in that stretch by WVU.

WVU sophomore guard Seth Wilson had a 12-point performance with 4-three’s.

During the opening minutes, Emmitt Matthews drove into the paint and converted on an and-one opportunity. With that basket, Matthews eclipsed the 1,000-point total during his collegiate career.

Matthews, whose first stint at West Virginia lasted from 2018-21, has scored 639 points in 98 games. During his lone season at Washington last year, the 6-foot-7 forward scored 362 points.

In the first half, WVU G Erik Stevenson was helped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his left foot. Stevenson was helped up and put no weight on his left leg. Stevenson returned just minutes later to the bench. Stevenson finished with 11 points.

With the win, West Virginia will play Florida on Sunday at the Chiles Center, the University of Portland’s gym. The time and network for that game is to be determined.