West Virginia held on to defeat Cincinnati today by a score of 63-50, breaking their 3-game losing streak.
Head Coach Darian DeVries saw something different out of his team this game. The team was connecting on both the offensive and defensive ends. After scoring 40 points in the first half alone, they followed it by only allowing 53 points the entire game.
“I thought we made some opportunities tonight that we haven’t converted on recently, and guys were able to knock down some shots. I thought that was a big factor,” said DeVries.
The biggest takeaway for the Mountaineers was the emergence of Joseph Yesufu. Yesufu scored 16 points while shooting 100% from the field, and 4/4 from three.
Darian DeVries could not have enough to say about Yesufu and what he meant to the team in this road victory. “I thought Joe (Yesufu) came in and gave us a huge spark off the bench. He gave us that other scorer that we haven’t had as consistent the last few games,” said DeVries.
Javon Small continued to shine for the Mountaineers, scoring 19 points and dishing nine assists.
“I feel like we play at our best when our defense is better than our offense. Really good defense translates to offensive buckets,” said Small.
Although the identity of the team has been their defense all season, they have struggled to keep teams under 60 points in their last three losses.
The team will continue their road trip, taking on TCU on February 5 at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
