The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) wore throwback uniforms on Saturday night in honor of native son and famed NBA legend Jerry West, resembling the look he popularized from 1958-1960 while playing for WVU. “The Logo” had family in attendance, as they watched fans storm the sold out coliseum court after upsetting the #2 Iowa State Cyclones (15-2, 5-1 Big 12), snapping their NCAA leading 12-game win streak. The 64-57 victory gives unranked West Virginia their third win over a top ten team this season.
Mountaineers Defiant Defense
Iowa State was held to the fewest points they’ve scored all season against West Virginia, emphasizing the Mountaineers defensive efforts against such a usually potent offense that averages 85.4 PPG. West Virginia held the Cyclones to 5.9% from 3 point range, as they were only able to make 1 of their 17 attempts. “Press Virginia” was a staple under former head coach Bob Huggins, and first year head coach Darian DeVries has implemented his own defensive schemes to smother opposing offenses. The Mountaineers forced the Cyclones to turn the ball over 14 times, while converting 13 points off of those turnovers and scoring 19 fast break points compared to Iowa State’s 2. WVU was also more successful from deep, making 33.3% of their shots on 9 makes.
Superstar Senior Continues to Shine
NBA ready guard Javon Small once again played superhero in the win, scoring a game high 27 points on 9/16 shooting, while securing 7 rebounds and tallying 5 assists. He had 6 points in a low scoring first half before igniting for 20 to finish the game. Small also added 4 steals on the defensive end, including one that resulted in an emphases dunk to put away the game in the closing minutes. Small leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.4 PPG, and is currently 4th in assists with 5.2 per contest. Fellow big man Amani Hansberry came off the bench to score 12 points and grab 6 boards of his own.
Program in Good Hands
Head Coach Darian DeVries has now defeated the #2 Iowa State Cyclones, #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs, and #7 Kansas Jayhawks for 3 top 10 wins in his first season with the Mountaineers. West Virginia fans can thank 3rd year Athletic Director Wren Baker for what has turned into a phenomenal hire, as DeVries has put together an entirely new roster to compete for a Big 12 title and is poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament this spring.
Closing Out January
West Virginia will stay home to face the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-7, 1-5 Big 12), before travelling to Kansas State (7-10, 1-5 Big 12). They return home to end January for a rematch against the Houston Cougars (4-2, 6-0 Big 12) in Morgantown.
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