The Mountaineers put up a hard fight during the second half of their matchup against No. 6 Houston Wednesday evening. While the first half started slow with defensive struggles, the Mountaineers changed their energy before falling short to the Cougars.
In the first half alone, Houston put up seven offensive rebounds scoring seven second-chance points. The Cougars dominated down low scoring 18 of their 39 first half points in the paint. West Virginia was unable to shut down the powerful Houston offense.
The second half started off differently with an 11-0 run by the Mountaineers. They forced Houston into nine turnovers scoring 12 points from the Cougars’ mistakes.
“The reason we got back into the game was because I felt like our guys played defensive at a level they’re capable of,” DeVries said. “For us, when we’re good, it’s our defense.”
The Mountaineers’ first half of 19 points marked their second lowest amount of points scored in a half this season following their last matchup against Kansas State. West Virginia added 30 points alone in the second half.
“I thought the guys showed an incredible fight in the second half and got back to what has made them successful throughout the year,” DeVries said.
The Mountaineers hope to carry their second half energy throughout the entirety of their matchup against Cincinnati Sunday afternoon.
