After trailing by 10 with 6:29 to play, West Virginia men’s basketball ended the game on a 19-5 run, helping them beat Cincinnati 69-65 and break a two-game losing streak.
In Jesse Edwards’ second game back from injury and first start since Dec. 16, he helped lead the comeback, scoring a season-high 25 points, including 19 in the second half, with nine of them coming down the final stretch.
The Bearcats built their lead on the strength of their three-point shooting in the second half, while they were able to shut down WVU’s offense at the same time. Over the final six minutes though, that offense went on a roll and the Bearcats reverted to their first half selves from three late in the second half.
Trailing 60-50 with 6:29 to play, WVU (8-13, 3-5 Big 12) went back to what was working throughout and that was getting the ball inside to Edwards. Edwards scored at the rim on two straight possessions, before Slazinski cashed in a three-pointer.
Kerr Kriisa drew an offensive foul following the Slazinski three, before he found a cutting Edwards to tie the game at 60-60 out of a timeout, with 3:26 to play. Edwards then made a layup, putting WVU back in front, with 1:47 to play.
Simas Lukosius hit a three-pointer with 1:29 to play, putting UC (14-7, 3-5 Big 12) in front, but RaeQuan Battle came back with a three of his own, WVU’s fourth of the second half, and the Mountaineers did not look back.
Edwards was a focal point for the Mountaineers early, but after he got on the board with a layup, UC went on a 7-0 run and took a 7-2 lead.
The run didn’t bother WVU, as they returned a 10-0 run for themselves. During the run, two UC turnovers created two transition buckets including a dunk from RaeQuan Battle which forced a Cincinnati timeout with 15:22 to play.
Out of the timeout, WVU scored another six points, with Quinn Slazinski cashing in on a pair of buckets, before Kobe Johnson was able to drive to the paint and finish to put the Mountaineers in front, 12-7 with 13:14 to play in the first half.
Things balanced out over roughly the next seven minutes, with WVU trying to feed Edwards inside. That plan didn’t work as well as the Mountaineers could have imagined, with Edwards going 2-for-8 from the field in the first half, while he also made only two of his six free throws.
The Bearcats built their first real lead of the game going on an 8-0 run over a 2:09 period, with three of those points coming off WVU turnovers. The run gave Cincinnati a 26-20 lead, their largest of the first half, before the Mountaineers cut it to four at halftime, trailing, 27-23.
Each team was cold from beyond the arc in the first half, with each side making only one three-pointer, and the two teams going a combined 2-for-15 from deep. Both teams also were somewhat careless with the ball, combining for 13 turnovers in the first half.
Despite the lack of success from three in the first half, that didn’t alter either gameplan in the second half, specifically Cincinnati.
Both teams made a three within the first two minutes of the first half, with WVU’s coming as part of a 9-0 run in which Edwards added four points, and WVU took a 32-30 lead. The second of the two baskets would help Edwards reach 1,000 career points.
WVU later took a 37-32 lead off of free throws, all coming from Battle or Slazinski.
From then on, Cincinnati’s three-point shooting would come alive and with that, so did the Bearcats. UC started the half 1-for-4 from three but would make five of their next seven shots from beyond the arc.
Two of those shots came from DayDay Thomas, who hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions with a West Virginia turnover sandwiched in between. That basket put the Bearcats in front 55-50 and forced a timeout from the Mountaineers.
Cincinnati’s lead grew to as many as 10 as they went on an 11-0 run with nine of the points coming from three.
Trailing 60-50 with 6:29 to play, WVU went back to what was working throughout and that was getting the ball inside to Edwards. Edwards scored at the rim on two straight possessions, before Slazinski cashed in a three-pointer.
Kerr Kriisa drew an offensive foul following the Slazinski three, before he found a cutting Edwards to tie the game at 60-60 out of a timeout, with 3:26 to play.
Edwards is the first player in WVU history to compile 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks in a game. Slazinski finished with 15 points, while Battle and Kriisa finished with 10 points each.
After starting the second half 7-for-17 from three, Cincinnati ended the second half making one of their final five three-pointers.
