WVU Bounces Back Against Jacksonville State, Winning 70-57

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU bounced back against Jacksonville State on Tuesday night, winning 70-57. West Virginia (2-1) played their best basketball in the final five minutes of the first half.

The Mountaineers went to a 2-3 zone and created offense after securing stops. WVU ended the half on a 14-3 run, connecting on each of their final six shots.

Throughout the game, West Virginia experimented with a 2-3 zone, switching between that and man-to-man. The 2-3 zone by WVU gave Jacksonville State (1-2) trouble during the end of the half run.

Following the Monmouth loss last Friday, West Virginia’s team emphasized that they have to find a way to get the ball down to Jesse Edwards. It took a good portion of the first half but Edwards got going after two and-one slam dunks towards the end of the period.

Edwards ended the game with 14 points on six shots and six rebounds.

WVU G Kobe Johnson had himself another career high performance on Tuesday. Johnson recorded 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting. The Canton, Ohio native also had six rebounds and five assists. Johnson was needed at the beginning of the contest when WVU was trying to get Edwards involved.

As a team, West Virginia shot 51% from the field, the best of the first three games this season. The Mountaineers scored 26 points in the paint, killing JSU in that category.

Other notable WVU scorers: Quinn Slazinski (19), Josiah Harris (12).

WVU freshman Ofri Naveh got the starting nod over Seth Wilson on Tuesday. Naveh, who appeared in his third game for the Mountaineers, finished with three points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Mountaineers were once again without Kerr Kriisa (suspension), RaeQuan Battle (waiver appeal) and Akok Akok (health) against Jacksonville State. Kriisa is the only player out of that trio that for sure will return to the floor in the near future. Kriisa is expected to make his WVU debut on Dec. 16 against UMass.

West Virginia will have nearly a week off before playing SMU in the first round of the Fort Myers Invitational on Monday. The Mountaineers and Mustangs will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. on Fox Sports One. The winner will play the winner of Virginia vs. Wisconsin next Wednesday.