West Virginia entered Sunday evening playing their third game in seven days, and trying to break a two-game losing streak.
After losing two games which they led at some point in the second half, West Virginia again squandered a second half lead and were in a tight game late with Bellarmine. The Mountaineers led just one point with less than five minutes to play, but West Virginia was able to hang on for the 62-58 win.
West Virginia struggled to shoot from deep in the first half, making a concerted effort to go inside against the Knights.
Bellarmine struck first with an early three-pointer, before WVU responded with a 6-0 run, using Jesse Edwards to score four of those points, two on free throws and two on a layup. Both teams would trade baskets, until the Knights took a 12-10 lead on a Peter Suder layup with 13:10 to play.
WVU’s Ofri Naveh would then drive to the basket and would be hacked and set to go to the free throw line.
After the stoppage, both Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport along with an assistant coach were assessed technical fouls. The result would be six free throw attempts, WVU making five of them, starting a 9-0 run finished off by a pair of buckets from Kobe Johnson.
The run helped WVU take a 19-12 lead, a lead they would not give up for the remainder of the first half. The Mountaineers missed their first five three-point-attempts, but Quinn Slazinski and Naveh each made one within a minute of each other, as WVU went to halftime in front, 36-30.
Bellarmine would erase the small deficit early in the second half, as the Knights shot the ball well from beyond the arc, and WVU struggled offensively.
The Knights retook the lead with 11:24 to play as Garrett Tipton made a three, to give them a 45-44 lead.
Through the first almost nine minutes of the second half, WVU shot 4 for 14 from the field, and missed all three of their three-pointers. Bellarmine didn’t shoot well percentage wise, making 6 of their 17 attempts to start the second half, but half of their makes came from three.
WVU answered back with a 6-0 run, with four of the points coming from Edwards at the free throw line. Edwards broke away from his free throw struggles earlier this week, shooting 7 for 8 from the free throw line on Sunday.
Trailing by five, the Knights would try and keep pace with the Mountaineers late. but they would struggle to score.
Over the final 11 minutes of the game, the Knights went 5 for 16 from the field, while WVU went 5 for 10. On the night, WVU shot 41 percent from the field but went 3 for 16 from three. Bellarmine shot 34 percent, and made nine of their 30 three-pointers.
Edwards would put WVU in front by seven with an emphatic dunk as the Mountaineers broke the Knights’ full court pressure. Bellarmine would not be counted out just yet, with Ben Johnson hitting a three-pointer with 10.5 seconds left.
Naveh had a career-high 10 points, while WVU had four players reach double-digits. Edwards finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds on the night.
The Mountaineers now turn their attention to back-to-back home games against power five competition as West Virginia plays hosts St. Johns on Friday and then Pitt next Wednesday.
