WVU traveled to Lubbock, Texas, for an important Big 12 matchup with No. 9 Texas Tech and lost by a score of 73-51. After getting off to a fast start WVU fell apart in the second half.
West Virginia got off to a fast start in the first half, going into the half only trailing by three points, 30-27. Javon Small hit a free throw early in the first half and couldn’t connect on his first field goal until the second half. Amani Hansberry led the Mountaineers in the first half with 12 first-half points and nine rebounds. Rebounding has been an issue for WVU all season and went into the half with 21 rebounds to Texas Tech’s 23.
In the second half, WVU’s offense was non-existent, shooting 29.6% from the field and 18.2% from three only putting up 24 points. Texas Tech was red-hot offensively, shooting 62.5% from the field and 63.6% from the arc while turning that into 43 second-half points. West Virginia had multiple extended scoring droughts in the second half that spanned over two minutes long. Javon Small finished the game with 10 points but wasn’t able to find his shot only connecting on three of his 14 shot attempts in the game.
Amani Hansberry was a bright spot for the Mountaineers in this one, recording his second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
WVU came into this game with their hopes of making the NCAA tournament slowly fading, and that path just got even harder. They will have to find a way to win three of their remaining games to comfortably make the tournament.
The Mountaineers now fall to 16-11 on the season. They will return to action at home at 9:00 PM EST on Feb. 25th against TCU. That game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
