West Virginia had a dominant win over Iona on Wednesday, defeating them 86-43.
It was the Mountaineers’ third win of the season. WVU will take on No. 3 Gonzaga in their next contest in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Here’s what can be learned from West Virginia’s victory over the Gaels:
Live and die by the three
The Mountaineers seem to play their best when they shoot from beyond the arc. On 31 attempts, they shot 48.4% from three against Iona, and three-pointers made up 52% of their points (45). Against Pitt, they didn’t shoot so well from three, which really seemed to flatline their offense. In the rest of this long college basketball season, we can see WVU continuing to have three-point shooting be a defining part of their game.
Small can do it all
Senior guard Javon Small had himself a game on Wednesday. He led all scorers with 23 points while also having five assists, five rebounds, four steals a block. Small was Oklahoma State’s leading scorer on average last season and will most likely be near the top for West Virginia this season. However, as represented by his stat line from last night, he can do more than score, which is extremely beneficial for the team out of their guard.
Lock ’em down
WVU played tight defense throughout. They had 11 blocks and steals, giving Iona a tough time operating their offense. In total, they forced 21 turnovers and held the Gaels to a field goal percentage under 24. West Virginia scored 26 points off turnovers. The only area where the Mountaineers lacked was grabbing defensive boards; they allowed Iona to grab 18 offensive rebounds.
Powell continues to impress
Freshman Jonathan Powell came off the bench and quickly scored 11 points. After throwing down a dunk, he hit three threes in a row without missing one. Powell was WVU’s leading scorer against Pitt and ranks third currently in pointers per game for West Virginia with 12. Powell’s impressive start to his collegiate career is a positive sign for the future of this WVU men’s basketball program.
