WVU Basketball Struggles From 3 in Loss to Texas Tech

WVU Basketball was out-shot on its home court by No. 13 Texas Tech in a 70-63 loss Sunday. WVU failed to make a three in the second half, going just 2-22 from three-point range.

The Red Raiders were on the board first with a three-pointer by senior guard Donovan Atwell. senior center Harlan Obioha made a free throw after being fouled going to the rim, but Atwell made another three for a 6-1 lead.

WVU struck back with a mid-range jumper from freshman guard Amir Jenkins before the Mountaineers forced a shot-clock violation. Jenkins then threw a lob to senior forward Brenen Lorient who finished it with a dunk for a score of 6-5.

Texas Tech added two more threes as WVU couldn’t keep up, eventually taking a 17-9 lead. The two teams traded blows, including a five-point swing by fifth-year guard Chance Moore, but the Red Raiders held a commanding 30-19 advantage.

The teams continued to trade buckets, as WVU only made two threes in the first half going into a 39-27 halftime deficit. Texas Tech shot 60.9% from the floor and 72.7% from three in the first half.

WVU had a fast start out of the halftime break with an 8-0 run forcing a Texas Tech timeout at the 16:55 mark. Senior guard Jasper Floyd made his mark on the scoring burst, tallying four points and two assists.

The Red Raiders came out of the break strong, scoring 10 unanswered points over 2:42 of play for a 52-37 lead.

WVU added short-lived 8-2 run before another three-pointer by Texas Tech, that time from freshman guard Jaylen Petty.

WVU found life after the final media timeout, scoring six straight points to cut the lead to 63-56 with three minutes remaining.

Another Texas Tech three-pointer extended the lead again, which WVU could not overcome. The Mountaineers fell 70-63.

WVU basketball will take the court again when it visits UCF at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Find more coverage of WVU basketball at WV Sports Now.