WVU falls short of BYU by a score of 73-69; the Mountaineers fall to 15-9 and 6-7 in conference play.
The Mountaineers got off to a quick start in the first half, taking a 34-32 lead into the half. In that first half of play, the Mountaineers shot 39.4% from the field and 31.3% from the three-point line. BYU made a point coming into this game to try and neutralize Javon Small, and they held him to just four first-half points. Toby Okani led the team offensively in the first half with nine points and Jonathan Powell had eight.
In the second half, the score went back and forth. West Virginia’s defense had a tough time stopping the Cougars, allowing them to have their way offensively. BYU shot 55.6% from the field in the second half and 35.7% from the arc. BYU was led by guard Egor Demin, who had 14 second-half points and went 5-7 from the field. Javon Small was held down once again in the second half, finishing the game with nine points, just his second game this season finishing with single-digit points. Toby Okani led the game for the Mountaineers with 16 points.
WVU was unable to close this one out and dropped the game by a final of 73-69.
WVU is making their path to the NCAA tournament tough by dropping these games. They will need to win four of their last seven games to put themselves at the 19-win threshold to give themselves the best possible shot at making the tournament.
WVU will go on the road Saturday, Feb. 15th, to Waco, Texas, in a matchup with Baylor at 2:00 pm EST. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
