It’s been over a month since WVU and Arizona had squared off in the third place game in the Battle For Atlantic tournament in November. The Mountaineers in that game were able to capture third place and pick up their second ranked run in three days.
The two teams will battle again tonight, this time as a conference matchup for the first time ever, but the Mountaineers will be a little shorthanded to the Wildcats who come into Morgantown finding their rhythm, looking to get their season back on track.
This matchup comes a day after WVU had found themselves in the latest AP Poll, sitting at 21. That is something the Mountaineers have not done since December of 2022.
Below is the Blue Gold Sports’ Ryan Roddy’s recap of WVU and Arizona’s overtime battle on November 29, 2024:
Tucker DeVries led all scorers in the contest with 26 points. Toby Okani had 20 points for the Mountaineers, while Amani Hansberry notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It was a slow start for West Virginia as Arizona jumped out in front early. However, under 12 minutes in the first half, the Mountaineers cut the lead.
Arizona was on a scoring drought of over two minutes when WVU took a 21-20 lead as a part of a 6-0 run. However, Arizona ended their scoring drought immediately after with a three.
While WVU struggled rebounding in the first half, turnovers were a big part of their game. In the first half, they forced eight turnovers, off which they scored 15 points.
DeVries caught fire towards the end of the first half. With under four minutes to go, he hit three straight three-point attempts and had 17 points at the end of the first half, helping West Virginia lead 39-37 heading into the locker room.
In the second half, WVU held a slight lead throughout the beginning of the second half. DeVries was in foul trouble with three fouls early into the second and was taken out for a short time.
Both teams struggled offensively around the 13-minute mark of the second half. West Virginia went on an 11-0 run and was nearing a double-digit point lead.
Points off turnovers continued to be crucial for WVU in the second half. Arizona began to close the gap, but the Mountaineers did not make a field goal for over three minutes.
Arizona tied the game at 66 late with 14 seconds left to go. The Mountaineers continued to struggle up to that point, making just one of their last 10 field goal attempts.
At the end of regulation, the game was still tied at 66, and West Virginia was headed to their third overtime game in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
WVU struck early in overtime with a Hansberry jumper. Looking to answer, West Virginia stole the ball from Arizona and capitalized with a DeVries three. The Mountaineers continued to stay hot offensively and build a lead of six.
With a minute to go, WVU led 78-72. Arizona scored with about 50 seconds left, cutting the Mountaineers’ lead to four.
With 18 seconds left, West Virginia had a more comfortable 83-76 lead. They held on to take third in the tournament.
