PORTLAND, Ore. —A night after struggling on the offensive end, West Virginia’s offense exploded, shooting 60.8% from the field, including shooting 43.8% from three in their 89-71 win over Portland State in the Phil Knight Legacy event on Friday.
On Thursday night, West Virginia struggled to score inside. One night later, the Mountaineers scored 36 points in the paint, while attempting 13 layups. The Mountaineers also had six players reach doble figures in the win.
West Virginia got off to a hot start from the field. The Mountaineers made a concerted effort to try and get to the rim, with four of West Virginia’s first seven points coming as layups.
West Virginia held an 11-6 lead within the first four minutes of the game. West Virginia would open the lead up to 10 points, with Erik Stevenson hitting a three-point to close out a 7-0 West Virginia run.
Stevenson would score eight points in the first half but would deal with an injury concern for the second night in a row. Stevenson was on defense and got tangled up with a Portland State player and would exit the court putting little weight on his left leg with 11:41 to play in the first. Stevenson would later return, playing 20 minutes in the win.
The Mountaineers would continue to add to their lead, with Kedrian Johnson being able to drive to the rim and get to the free throw line. Johnson scored six points at the free throw line, while scoring XX points in the first half.
West Virginia would end the first half on a Seth Wilson three-pointer, carrying a 53-36 lead into the break.
After the break, The Mountaineers led by 21, before Portland State would attempt to get back into the game.
From the 16:45 mark to the 13:02 mark, Portland State went on a 10-0 run, to cut the West Virginia lead to 60-50. That is as close as the Vikings would get. Joe Toussaint made back-to-back baskets, before the Mountaineers would go on a 6-0 run, to lead again by 19.
Portland State was led by Cameron Parker who scored 19 points, including 13 at the free throw line. Hunter Woods added 12 points for Portland State, and they were the only two Vikings in double figures.
Seth Wilson earning the right to play more
Over the past two night, West Virginia’s Seth Wilson has proven he deserves to play more. Tonight, Wilson scored 12 points, making four of his six shots, while all four of his makes came from three-point range. Wilson played 21 minutes against Portland State and had two rebounds and a steal to go along with his 12 points.
Bigs Need to Add More
West Virginia’s trio of Jimmy Bell, James Okonkwo, and Mohamed Wague had a combined plus/minus of 11. They scored a combined nine points and had eight rebounds. That type of production will not cut it in the middle of the Big 12 schedule. West Virginia got out-rebounded 30-27 to Portland State. Yes, WVU made shots, and yes it is only game six for the Mountaineers, but they will have to continue to develop if this team will want to win in January and February.
Matthews and Mitchell Bounce Back
Against Purdue it was not pretty for Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Tre Mitchell. Against Portland State it was a lot better for the duo. They scored a combined 30 points, including a team-high 16 points from Mitchell. The pair added six rebounds and six assists on the evening as well.
History Made
With the win Bob Huggins claimed sole possession of all-time wins among Division I head coaches. Huggins recorded win No. 921, which passes longtime UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. Huggins will have the chance to pick up win No. 922 in the fifth-place game on Sunday.
Photo by Aaron Parker
