Okani and Powell discuss home loss to BYU

West Virginia lost their fourth home game of the season last night in a tough matchup against BYU. The Mountaineers led for what felt like the entire game, but could not string together enough stops to pull away in the end.

“I just think that we did not stay to our principles in the second half,” said WVU’s Toby Okani. “We gave them too many scouting report points,” he added.

Okani led the way for the Mountaineers, scoring a team-high 16 points and 5 rebounds. WVU could not get defensive stops in the second half partly due to the offensive rebounds they gave up throughout the game. BYU had the same offensive rebounds (25) as the Mountaineers did on both sides of the court.

Freshman guard Jonathan Powell believed the rebounding was West Virginia’s biggest problem. “In the first half, they didn’t have many second-chance opportunities or points. In the second half, they had way more of those, so we just need to clean that up,” Powell said.

BYU forward and potential lottery pick Egor Demin scored 16 points while shooting 50% from the field. Demin hit a deep three with 50 seconds left in the game as the shot clock expired with two hands in his face. The Mountaineers were unable to make up this three-point deficit.

When asked about Demin’s shot, Okani thought it did not cost the Mountaineers the game. “That’s just basketball, at the end of the day they made a shot. That’s how the game goes. How we respond the next two possessions on defense is what determines the game,” he said.

WVU now finds themselves in a tough spot. They will need to win four out of their next six games to make the NCAA tournament, which includes three road games. They will travel to Baylor on Feb. 15 for a must-win game for the Mountaineers.