West Virginia Races Past Murray State, Will Play Marshall On Sunday

The Viejas Arena in San Diego, California will have a Charleston Civic Center feel to it on Sunday when the No. 5-seed West Virginia Mountaineers will take on the No. 13-seed Marshall Thundering Herd in the second round of the NCAA tournament East region, after the Mountaineers raced to a 85-68 win over the No. 12-seed Murray State Racers in the first round.

Both teams looked sluggish early on, with the Mountaineers holding an 16-9 advantage midway through the first half. West Virginia extended their lead to 23-15 following an and one play from freshman Teddy Allen. The Mountaineers would go on to take a 38-29 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Racers closed West Virginia’s lead to five points in the early portion of the second half, but Jevon Carter took the game over, rattling off 13 points in the first ten minutes. West Virginia continued to build their lead as the game went on, with a layup from Daxter Miles putting the game just out of reach with six minutes remaining.

Carter lead the Mountaineers with 21 points, 8 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds. Teddy Allen finished 5-for-8 from the field for 16 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. Sagaba Konate went 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line, finishing with 14 poitns, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Esa Ahmad added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and Miles chipped in 9 points.

The Capital Classic: West Coast Edition will tip off at approximately 9:40PM ET on Sunday, and will be televised on TBS.