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A competitive game in the first half turned into a blowout in the second as #20 West Virginia (9-1) took care of Marshall (3-7) 86-68 in Charleston on Thursday night.
Marshall jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the game, and six three pointers in the first twelve minutes resulted in the Herd holding a 26-21 lead. West Virginia closed the half on a 14-6 run and led 35-32 at the break. Devin Williams sat for much of the half after picking up two quick fouls.
Per usual, West Virginia's depth and constant pressure wore down a lesser opponent in the second half. The Mountaineers started the half on an 18-7 run to take a 53-39 lead with 10:51 to go. The final ten minutes were basically a free throw contest resulting in the 18 point Moutaineer victory. What else would you expect from this game? It was not the most exciting contest.
Jevon Carter led the Mountaineers with 15 points on 5-10 shooting. Daxter Miles scored 14, also on 5-10 shooting. Elijah Macon scored 8 in the first half and finished with 12. Tarik Phillip rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 off the bench. Devin Williams went scoreless in the first half and finished with 9 and 7 rebounds.
Marshall was led by Ryan Taylor with 15. Charleston, WV native Jon Elmore added 14.
The two teams combined for 67 free throws. West Virginia was 18-33 and Marshall was 27-34. WVU outrebounded the Herd 46-32.
Some notes:
- To no one's surprise, there was a slight delay in the first half due to shot clock issues. Gotta love the Charleston Civic Center.
- West Virginia is now 33-11 all-time against Marshall and have won 9 of the last 10.
- The Mountaineers had 9 turnovers in the first half, many of them careless and unforced. This is likely to be an issue with the WVU backcourt all season long.
- Hope you get ESPNU. Four of WVU's next five matchups will be televised there. Have the mute button ready. Tonight's announcers were HORRIBLE.
The Mountaineers are back in action on Monday, December 21st when they take on Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels are 8-4, and lost to Marshall 96-72 in their December 12th matchup. The game tips at 7:00 PM and is again televised by ESPNU and WatchESPN.