Darian DeVries gets his first taste of the Backyard Brawl rivalry on Friday night, as his Mountaineers play the Pitt Panthers at Petersen Events Center.
Guards Tucker DeVries, Toby Okani, Javon Small and Sencire Harris, along with 6-foot-8 forward Amani Hansberry, represent WVU in the starting five.
1st Half
Hansberry kicks off the physicality in Pittsburgh, flagrantly fouling Zack Austin just 36 seconds into the game. Austin makes both free throws to put Pitt up 4-2 early.
Harris scores to cut the Pitt lead to 10-6 ahead of the first media timeout with 15:59 left in the half.
Darian DeVries’ first timeout comes after a steal by Eduardo Andre. Andre has two points, two rebounds, and a steal in four minutes played. Damian Dunn makes a three for Pitt before the next media timeout to go up 18-8.
The Mountaineers make Pitt struggle thanks to their tight perimeter defense, but the aggression becomes messy as two Mountaineers fight for the rebound and tip the ball out of bounds. Ishmael Leggett goes inside for two.
With back-to-back threes from Guillermo Diaz Graham and Damian Dunn, Pitt cruises to a 15-2 run and forces DeVries to call a timeout with 7:09 in the half. Pitt leads West Virginia 35-14.
WVU picks up two points from its deficit, but with Okani at the line to cut the lead to 17, he misses both shots. Less than five minutes remain in the half.
Jonathan Powell shoots a deep three and misses to put WVU at 1-for-10 from beyond the arc. Powell is the only Mountaineer to have made a three-pointer, doing so with four shots from deep.
Andre finds Tucker DeVries for a three, and WVU forces a turnover on the other end before taking a timeout. DeVries has cut the deficit to 38-22.
Dunn throws down an alley-oop from Jaland Lowe at the buzzer to double WVU’s point total.
Pitt leads 44-22 at the half.
2nd Half
Sencire Harris misses a three off the backboard to waste WVU’s first possession of the half. Dunn does not do the same, putting Pitt up 25.
Small knocks down his first three-point attempt of the night, good for WVU’s third make total in 16 attempts. After a flashy second-chance make by Diaz Graham, Small tries again from the logo and is off the mark. WVU trails 49-25.
KJ Tenner makes the most of an and-one opportunity after a pair of Pitt makes, including one off a steal in the post from Tucker DeVries. Tenner fouls Zack Austin, who knocks down two on the other end. Pitt leads WVU 54-28.
Powell makes his second three to put WVU over 30 points. Powell is 2-for-6 from the field and 2-for-6 from three.
Dunn is up to 21 points on the night, making his fourth three on seven attempts. Powell matches him to keep the deficit at 28.
Powell is up to 50 percent from long range, scoring all 12 of his points with only three-point attempts. He is WVU’s only scorer in double digits. WVU trails 64-39.
Hansberry fouls out with 10 minutes remaining in the game. He tallied two points, three rebounds, and an assist before sitting down.
Cameron Corhen is up to double digits for the Panthers, with 11 points to go with five rebounds. Only Dunn and Leggette have more for Pitt. Dunn is up to 24 after making two free throws to put Pitt up 30 and past the 70-point mark.
Powell shoots and makes his first attempt from inside the arc. The mid-ranger, along with Small’s banked and-one layup with contact, cuts the Pitt lead to 28. WVU trails 74-46.
Tucker DeVries gets his first highlight play, a steal and bucket in transition, but then fouls out on the next Pitt possession attempting to force Cummings out of bounds.
Andre goes from the right side of the basket to the left for two points then scores from the restricted area on the next possession. Andre is up to eight points on 4-for-4 shooting, and WVU’s deficit is down to 22 points.
Pitt holds onto the ball to end the game 86-62.
Photo by Korey Moore, Blue Gold Sports
