West Virginia Snaps Losing Streak, Defeats UCF 77-67

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia snapped their four-game losing streak on Tuesday night at the WVU Coliseum, defeating UCF 77-67.

Heading into the game, West Virginia (9-17, 4-9 Big 12) was on a four-game losing streak, falling to BYU, Texas, TCU and Baylor. WVU’s last win came on Jan. 31 against Cincinnati.

West Virginia has struggled throughout the season on defense, especially in the last four contests, allowing 88.8 points per game during that stretch. WVU played better defense on Tuesday as UCF (13-12, 4-9 Big 12) shot 33% from the field and 24% from three.

UCF G Darius Johnson led the way for the Knights with 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting.

WVU C Jesse Edwards blocked an attempted UCF dunk to result in a Kobe Johnson transition layup down the other end. UCF called timeout down 58-45, which was West Virginia’s largest lead at the time.

Edwards finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

West Virginia’s first half included a more efficient offense as the Mountaineers started out 13-of-17 shooting from the field. WVU also limited their turnovers in the first half in comparison to the past week, which help give them a seven-point lead heading into the break.

RaeQuan Battle connected on a three-pointer in the opening sequence during the second half. Battle, who has scored 46 points in the last two games, recorded 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field.

Other notable scorers for WVU: Quinn Slazinski (14), Josiah Harris (8), Johnson (8).

West Virginia scored 26 points in the paint, compared to UCF’s 20.

WVU G Seth Wilson missed his second-straight game on Tuesday due to a death in his family. Wilson is also dealing with a nagging groin injury.

West Virginia will head on the road to take on No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday. The Mountaineers and Cyclones are set to tipoff at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.