West Virginia’s Shooting Carries Them to Victory Over Bellarmine

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a non-conference matchup against the Bellarmine Knights, West Virginia ran away with a 74-55 win, shooting 48 percent from the field.

If you were present to watch Bellarmine (2-6) shoot around, it was no surprise that they came out of the gates with a lot of energy.

Sean McNeil started the game with two-straight field goals. It seemed like the former Bellarmine player was ready to have a breakout game against his former team. It wasn’t a breakout game, but a very good game for the Kentucky native.

McNeil finished with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. McNeil’s 2-three’s against the Knights were made in the second half.

The Knights took a 12-11 lead with 12:10 in the first half. This was the only lead that Bellarmine had all game.

West Virginia’s (6-1) Gabe Osabuohien, Malik Curry, Dimon Carrigan and Pauly Paulicap brought the production off the bench. The bench scored a combined 28 points on Tuesday.

Osabuohien did get into foul trouble early-on during the first half. The fifth-year forward only played one minute in the first half after committing two fouls.

Taz Sherman led West Virginia in the first half with 11 points, on 4-of-6 shooting. Sherman helped lead a WVU team to shoot 59 percent in the first half.

WVU led at halftime with a 37-30 lead over the Knights.

Out of the locker room, West Virginia started on an 8-1 run. WVU played with more energy in the second half, as shown with a great transition play by Osabuohien, Curry and Paulicap.

A three-point shot by Kobe Johnson gave West Virginia a 71-43 lead with five minutes left in the game.

WVU ended up closing out the Knights, cruising to a 74-55 victory.

West Virginia won their third rebounding contest this season, out-rebounding the Knights 41-31.

Sherman led West Virginia in points with 18. The Texas native had three assists and shot 7-of-12 from the field.

Other notable scorers were McNeil (14), Curry (9) and Jalen Bridges (8).

The Mountaineers will take a few days off until they welcome Radford, who is now coached by former WVU guard Darris Nichols. West Virginia and Radford will tip-off on Saturday, at 4 p.m., inside the WVU Coliseum. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

(Top Photo: Julia Mellett / WVSN)