It was “Senior Night” inside the Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Seniors Javon Small, Jake Auer, Toby Okani, Joseph Yesufu, and Eduardo Andre were all honored before tip-off. Seeing them go will be a bittersweet feeling for Mountaineer fans across the country, however the task at hand was arguably just as important as honoring these wonderful players. Could the Mountaineers beat UCF in their final game of the home season and seal their spot in the March Madness Tournament?
The game started off slow, as neither team could find the cup in their first two possessions. However, Javon Small struck first with a mid-range jump shot near the top of the key. This gave the Mountaineers the momentum they needed right out of the gate.
Amani Hansberry made a contested and-one layup on the very next possession, followed by an ankle-breaking two-point jumper from the corner. Javon Small was not done, though, as West Virginia got yet another defensive stop followed by a tough setback three. A wide-open three-pointer made by Darius Johnson kept UCF in a two-possession ballgame.
In this matchup, West Virginia’s offensive rebounding gave them the edge as it set up so many second-chance scoring opportunities such as a kick out three pointer to Jonathan Powell to get him on the board. Senior center, Eduardo Andre checked into the ball game rather quickly and this would be the first time he would be seen with a face mask after the injury he suffered during the Mountaineer’s road win in Salt Lake City.
Thanks to West Virginia’s exceptional offensive rebounding and defense, they managed to pull away from the Knights. Three straight three-pointers for Javon Small put Javon at 16 points in just five minutes of action.
The rest of the team saw Small’s performance and decided to get in on the fun. Amani Hansberry scored a three-pointer and an alley-oop slam off of an assist from Small. Supporting cast members Sincere Harris, Toby Okani, and Yesufu also got themselves on the board. The Coliseum was turning into prime Lob City as Toby Okani received a lob from Javon Small for an easy slam. Javon Small tallied 19 points in the first half, taking the team into halftime with a 47-25 lead over the Orlando natives.
The dominance from the first half continued briefly for West Virginia as Jonathan Powell hit a corner three-pointer to open up the second half. After the Powell corner three, both teams would be on a brief scoring drought until UCF found a spark of life as they proceeded to go on an 8-0 scoring run.
Next thing the Mountaineers knew, their 22-point lead had been brought down to just 13. The second-half struggles continued for West Virginia as Sincere Harris was called for back-to-back fouls, one of those being a charging foul. However, UCF would give up an offensive charging foul of their own against Small. This gave West Virginia their spark back as Amani Hansberry scored a contested layup followed by a Toby Okani block at the rim.
Missed shot after missed shot for West Virginia had a visible effect on their morale and UCF utilized that and kept chipping away at West Virginia’s seemingly insurmountable lead. UCF switched to full court press and it paid off as they were able to get Johnson the ball out in transition to score a layup that brought the game within one possession.
But it was the savior of the game, Jonathan Powell who hit a clutch three-pointer to put him at 5-8 from three on the game and the Mountaineers ahead 70-65. Small hit two final free throws to put the Mountaineers in the winning category with a final score of 72-65.
Now the Mountaineers wait to see who and where they will play for the NCAA “March Madness Tournament.” Selection Sunday is tomorrow; it is now up to the Mountaineers to correct their mistakes to hopefully make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
