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WVU Basketball Comes Out Flat in Late-Night Loss to Arizona State

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WVU Head Coach Darian DeVries

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Slow starts to each half doomed WVU basketball in a late-night loss to visiting Arizona State Tuesday in the Coliseum. The Sun Devils (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) scored 10 of the first 12 points of the game and 13 of the first 14 in the second half en route to a 65-57 win over the No. 23 Mountaineers (13-5, 4-3). 

No. 23 West Virginia trailed 10-2 early on, missing eight of its first nine shots on a chilly night in Morgantown. After the first six minutes, it was like the Mountaineers finally woke up as they went on a 15-1 scoring run to take a 17-11 lead. Nearly all of WVU’s points were scored in transition as Jonathan Powell capped the run with his second three-pointer of the night.

The momentum shifted again following a timeout as the Sun Devils went on the offensive to score eight straight and pull back ahead 19-17. A pair of dunks by Toby Okani had WVU up 23-19, but ASU’s Adam Miller hit a couple of shots in the final two minutes to put the Sun Devils ahead 24-23 at halftime.

Javon Small, the Big 12’s leading scorer, had just two points at the break, both coming from free throws as he was 0-4 from the floor.

It was all Arizona State to begin the second half as the Sun Devils opened on a 13-1 run to pull ahead 37-24 after four minutes. 

West Virginia’s first five points in the second half all came from Small at the free-throw line. The Mountaineers didn’t make a field goal until Eduardo Andre made a layup with 12:52 to play. Between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, the Mountaineers shot just 2-19 from the floor. WVU missed its first six shots in each half.

Things looked dire for the Mountaineers as they trailed 53-42 with six minutes to play. West Virginia managed to put together one final run to get back into contention, outscoring ASU 11-2 over the next four minutes to pull within four points, 55-51.

That was as close as the Mountaineers would get, however, as Arizona State held on for the upset win.

Small finished with 14 points, shooting 2-11 from the floor and 0-8 from three on an uncharacteristically off night. Powell scored 12 with a trio of three-pointers. WVU was 4-29 as a team from beyond the arc.

Jayden Quaintance powered Arizona State with 15 points to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Basheer Jihad led all scorers with 17 points while BJ Freeman finished with 14.

WVU basketball is on the road next for a game at Kansas State Saturday at 6 p.m.

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