WVU Basketball Does Enough to Climb Over Bearcats, 62-59

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a game many were labeling a must-win for WVU basketball, the Mountaineers played like they were well aware of the magnitude of the game, granted the win didn’t come without moments of concern. West Virginia completed the season series sweep of Cincinnati with a 62-59 win on Wednesday night.

Almost immediately, West Virginia enjoyed a total team effort. Amani Hansberry scored five of WVU’s first 10 points, including a big three-pointer at about the 15-minute mark.

But it wouldn’t take long for the Mountaineers’ team MVP Javon Small to make his presence felt. Small connected on three of his first four shots from the field and a couple from beyond the arch within the first 10 minutes of the game.

With 9:00 left, Small had eight points and West Virginia held a 23-16 lead. While has WVU has struggled to hang with most teams on the boards, that was not an issue in the opening session of this game.

Thanks to a collective effort led by Hansberry, West Virginia dominated the glass with a 12-5 advantage in rebounds with 7:50 on the first half game clock.

But the Bearcats would claw their way back into the game in the final minutes of the half. Day Day Thomas led the charge for Cincinnati with seven first half points.

Despite the comeback attempt, WVU still managed to maintain their edge throughout the half, going into the locker room up 29-27. Small already had double digits in points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from three.

The second half started off with a back and forth before Cincinnati took their first lead of the game at 16:45, making the score 36-33. But Sencire Harris then picked up his game with a couple momentum stealing baskets.

As has been a theme of late, West Virginia went through a scoring drought that allowed Cincinnati to jump out in front, 41-37 with 13:10 remaining. Small’s first field goal of the half got the Mountaineers on the board but the Bearcats answered to stay up by four, 43-39.

While WVU still held a slight overall edge of 26-24 with 8:47 left, Cincinnati dominated the boards most of the second half.

Helping to ignite the crowd, Powell hit a monster three to pull within one at 47-46 with 6:06 in the clock. Despite a rough second half offensively, the Mountaineers started to regain momentum late in the game.

Strong rebounding and some misses by the Bearcats got West Virginia on top as the scoreboard read 50-47 at 4:19. This then became 53-50 after a three by Hansberry, giving him a team leading 15 points, and then another one by Powell. Hansberry would muscle his way through the paint and lay in two more points, bringing his total to 17 and the score to 58-53 with just over one minute to go before the final buzzer.

After a couple late threes made fans sweat, the game ended with West Virginia claiming the victory, 62-59.

WVU basketball now owns a 16-10 (7-8, Big 12) record as they get back on the road and travel to Lubbock for a Saturday showdown with No. 9 Texas Tech.