MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Mountaineers suffered their fifth loss of the season at home, falling to the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Coach Darian DeVries addressed the media following the defeat, emphasizing the team’s defensive struggles.
“In a night where you go four for 29 from three, it’s still our defense that has got to be what carries us,” DeVries said. “And in the second half, when you know they shoot 61%, that’s not good enough.”
“You can’t give up offensive rebounds, and you can’t let a team shoot 61%. I mean, it’s as simple as that.”
Arizona State’s offense took control, consistently finding success against the Mountaineers’ defense. The Sun Devils dominated inside, forcing the ball to starting forwards Basheer Jihad and Jayden Quaintance.
Jihad finished with 17 points, while Quaintance added 15. The Sun Devils scored 36 of their 65 points in the paint, accounting for more than 55% of their total offense.
“Even though it was an ugly half, it was 24-23,” DeVries said. “If we do that again in the second half, maybe we have a better result, but you know our defense let us down tonight.”
The win marked Arizona State’s first victory in four games and only their second in Big 12 conference play.
West Virginia will look to bounce back on the road Saturday night against Kansas State.
