West Virginia plays its penultimate nonconference game on Saturday, hosting the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference visitors come to Morgantown with an inverse record to the Mountaineers, at 2-7 on the year. WVU enters with the momentum of a three-game winning streak, including its last two at home.
6-foot-7 guard Tucker DeVries is out for the second straight game after being ruled out indefinitely on Tuesday with an upper body injury. DeVries averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks through WVU’s first eight games.
Without his son, coach Darian DeVries named Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Amani Hansberry to the starting lineup. Powell, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, made his first collegiate start.
1st Half
Hansberry wins the tip to Small, who bounces a pass inside to Hansberry for the first points of the game. After a stop, Small gets his own bucket to put WVU up 5-0 after a minute of play.
Senior Brayon Freeman gets the first points for Bethune-Cookman, driving to the lane and making the most of an and-one opportunity.
Powell makes his first three-point attempt about three and a half minutes in to become the team’s leading scorer. After Javon Small steps out of bounds on the right sideline before the first media timeout with 15:43 remaining in the period. WVU leads 12-3.
B-CU heats up out of the timeout, cutting the WVU lead to 12-8 before Joseph Yesufu knocks down his first attempt, a three from the right corner.
Bethune-Cookman and WVU trade baskets before multiple stops. Seneca Willoughby passes behind halfcourt to trigger a B-CU turnover and media timeout. WVU leads 18-10 with 11:51 remaining in the first.
Hansberry knocks down a deep three from behind the top of the key. Willoughby draws a foul inside but misses both from the line. WVU leads 21-10 a quarter of the way through the game.
Sencire Harris blocks Daniel Rouzan’s mid-range shot from the right side then knocks down his own on the other end. WVU’s lead is up to 26-10 with 8:44 remaining in the half.
Rouzan gets the first points out of the timeout, making two at the line. Rouzan leads the Wildcats with seven points.
Small loses his defender with a step-back dribble move then makes the three from the left wing. He drives in from the left and scores over his man to put WVU up 37-17 with 4:32 left in the half.
Bethune-Cookman goes for eight uninterrupted points to cut the WVU lead to 12 with 2:27 to go in the period.
WVU misses three shots as Brayon Freeman and Trey Thomas each score a layup to cut the lead under 10 points. Reggie Theus calls timeout with 1:33 on the clock.
Hansberry breaks B-CU’s 12-0 run out of the timeout to put WVU up 39-29. Reggie Ward makes his first of two free throws. KJ Tenner grabs the rebound off the second and gets fouled on a layup in transition. Tenner makes both shots to put WVU up 41-30 at the half.
2nd Half
Bethune-Cookman starts the half with a turnover as Rouzan gets called for three seconds in the lane.
Sencire Harris gets the first points of the half, but they are immediately matched by Rouzan, who makes a layup in a quick possession.
WVU and B-CU trade stops then trade blocks, as Powell’s layup is blocked by Jesus Carralero Martin, and Freeman’s shot in the post is blocked by Toby Okani.
Sencire Harris slows the pace by drawing a foul and makes both at the line. Trey Thomas tops it with a B-CU three before driving for his third field goal. Thomas has 10 points.
Powell gets the WVU lead back up to nine with a three-pointer to trigger the media timeout with 15:40 remaining. WVU leads 48-39.
Hansberry scores first out of the timeout after Small gets a hand on Carralero Martin’s three to send it to Sencire Harris. WVU is up to 50 points in the game.
Hansberry strips Carralero Martin, but B-CU knocks the ball out of bounds to put Brayon Freeman in position to steal the inbound pass and score in transition. WVU leads 52-41.
Eduardo Andre gets his first highlight, sending Trey Thomas’s layup into the stands. Freeman goes in on Andre next and draws a foul, making for Andre’s fourth.
Small’s consistent scoring puts WVU up 14, 56-42, with 11:50 remaining in the game. Small is the leading scorer with 16, followed closely by Hansberry and Powell, who have 11 points each.
Just as West Virginia pulls ahead, Willoughby cuts the lead back to 13 after a three from the left wing becomes a four-point play. WVU fails to score on the other end, keeping the score at 63-50.
Thomas shakes his defender to score a mid-range shot from the left. Trey Thomas is up to 12 points for B-CU as the Wildcats trail 63-52 with seven minutes to go.
Javon Small makes two free throws to put WVU up 65-52. Small has 23 points in the game. Out of the timeout, he knocks down two more to get to 25.
Okani knocks down his first three of the night and seventh of the season. Jonathan Powell matches him to put WVU up 76-57 with 2:14 remaining.
Jake Auer checks in for the first time as Small shoots free throws. Small makes both shots as WVU fans cheer, putting the Mountaineers up 80-57 with 1:16 to go.
Auer knocks down the final basket of the game from the right corner, and the Mountaineer fans erupt. WVU takes down Bethune-Cookman 84-61 at home.
