The Mountaineers saw what it takes to be a top Big 12 team on Saturday as the Houston Cougars outdid them in almost every statistical category.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson is notorious for his teams’ elite defense, and that strength popped off the page against West Virginia. Houston forced 12 Mountaineer turnovers and also won the rebounding battle 40-34 with 29 defensive rebounds despite having no player taller than 6’9″.
The Cougars’ three starting guards, all standing at 6’3″ or shorter, combined for six of Houston’s 10 steals. One guard, reigning 6’1″ AAC Defensive Player of the Year Jamal Shead, tallied four blocks as well for a team total of nine.
The most significant accomplishment for Houston in the game, though, was fully stopping back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Week RaeQuan Battle. The 6’5″ guard scored 20 less points than his second lowest scoring effort of the season, going just one- for-9 from the field, 0 for three from long-distance, and two-for-four at the line in 23 minutes.
The No. 3 Cougars worked Battle in the game, keeping him to three rebounds and an assist while also forcing three fouls and three turnovers from the star. Battle’s only field goal in the game was a statement dunk with under three minutes remaining in the second half.
It took the Mountaineers some adjusting to account for Battle’s struggles, but WVU stepped up in the second half despite Houston stars L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead still playing 14 minutes each in the period.
After falling to a 48-22 deficit at halftime, WVU trailed Houston just 41-33 in the second half. No Mountaineer’s plus/minus was in negative double-digits in the half, with Noah Farrakhan leading the team with a plus/minus of two points in 10 minutes.
The significant shift, though still remaining in Houston’s favor, came as West Virginia shot significantly better from the field. After going 8 for 31 from the field and 3 of 16 from three in the first half, the Mountaineers cut down on three-point attempts significantly to improve to 10 of 25 from the field and 1 of 7 from three in the second.
The shooting struggles do not account for all of WVU’s woes, though, as while Houston shined defensively, the Mountaineers did not do the same. WVU forced just five total turnovers, two in the first half and three in the second. They tallied five blocks, three steals, and 23 defensive rebounds in the game.
West Virginia did foul less than the Cougars in the game, with Houston leading 19-15, but there was almost no impact from this considering Houston shot 12 of 14 from the line compared to WVU’s 15 of 20.
WVU also led the game in offensive rebounding, 13 to 11, but this is the only realm the Mountaineers’ height advantage shows on the stat sheet, and it is mostly due to WVU missing more shots at the rim than Houston. The Cougars grabbed 69% of rebounds off WVU misses while the Mountaineers brought in just under 66% of rebounds on Houston’s side of the ball.
Overall, the Mountaineers failed to capitalize on a height advantage or recover from dismal shooting in the first half. RaeQuan Battle should bounce back Tuesday against Kansas State, but if not, West Virginia will need to rely on smarter shot selection and a tighter defense.
Photo by Wesley Shoemaker, Blue Gold Sports
