The West Virginia Mountaineers fell to the #10 Houston Cougars on Wednesday 70-54. It’s only the second time that the two teams have met, with Houston winning the previous matchup as well a season prior. The Mountaineers are now 12-4 overall and 3-2 in a stacked Big 12 conference, while the 54 points are the fewest scored by them thus far this season.
West Virginia Aims for Cougars, Shoots Self in Foot
The Mountaineers struggled to find their footing early on against Houston in a game where they turned the ball over 12 times and fouled the Cougars 17 times. Houston was able to convert the West Virginia turnovers into 25 points, while only giving the ball up 7 times themselves and committing 11 fouls. The Cougars took full advantage of every mishap the Mountaineers made, leading by as much as 18 points before eventually securing the 16 point victory. WVU managed to shoot 44.2% from the field to include 40.9% from 3, compared to Houston’s margin of 49% overall and 42.3% from range. The Cougars crashed the boards early and often, securing the rebound battle 30-23.
Small with Another Big Effort
Big 12 points leader Javon Small again scored in double figures, finishing with 13 points on 4/11 shooting and three makes from deep. He also posted a game high 8 assists in what has become a terrific senior campaign so far for the Mountaineers. Sophomore big man Amani Hansberry led West Virginia in scoring, posting 16 points off of the bench. Hansberry is the third leading scorer for WVU this season, averaging 9.6 PPG, behind Small and injured guard Tucker DeVries. He also leads the Mountaineers with 5.9 rebounds per game.
Injury Update
Top portal transfer Tucker DeVries missed his eighth consecutive game Wednesday, with no timetable for his return given by head coach Darian DeVries. Initially thought to be on track to return, DeVries’ season has come under speculation that the senior may medically redshirt with so much time already missed. If DeVries were to return and play another game for WVU, he would waive his medical redshirt eligibility and potentially risk further injury. Whether the Mountaineers attempt to get him back on the court this season or shut him down completely for next years campaign remains to be seen.
Weathering the Storm
West Virginia (12-4, 3-2) will return home for a highly anticipated contest against the #2 Iowa State Cyclones (15-1, 5-0), before battling the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-6, 1-4) in Morgantown.
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