West Virginia pulls away from Georgetown late, gives Big 12 advantage in Big 12/Big East Battle

The No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers (4-1) gave the Big 12 Conference a 2-1 advantage in the 2020-21 Big 12/Big East Battle this afternoon with a 80-71 win over the Georgetown Hoyas (1-2) in Georgetown.

The game got off to a rocky start with Emmitt Matthews turning the ball over on West Virginia’s first possession, allowing Georgetown to open up a 8-2 lead early before Miles McBride knocked down a three for the Mountaineers’ first field goal.

Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe were kept quiet in the first half due to foul trouble, together only accounting for three points and two rebounds in 20 minutes, and the two teams traded blows with neither team able to extend a lead past four points.

The action continued in the second half with Georgetown building on their 34-32 halftime lead, eventually growing it to a 50-44 lead at the 13:33 mark before the Mountaineers went on a 10-0 run sparked by another McBride three pointer.

The Hoyas would erase the lead with a 7-0 run of their own, taking a 57-54 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. However, that lead was quickly erased by a 13-2 run by the Mountaineers to pull ahead, opening up a 9 point lead at 71-62 with 3:20 remaining.

West Virginia closed the game on a 5-0 run of made free throws to seal the deal.

McBride led the Mountaineers with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Culver finished one rebound shy of another double-double with 14 points, nine rebounds. Matthews finished with 13 points, and Taz Sherman chipped in 12 points off the bench. Oscar Tshiebwe finished the day with nine points, six rebounds.

The Big 12/Big East Battle continues throughout this month. The Big 12’s other win came last Tuesday, with Oklahoma State beating Marquette, 70-62. The Big East’s lone win came when No. 17 Texas fell to No. 12 Villanova earlier today.

The Mountaineers return to action on Wednesday evening for their home debut against the Robert Morris Colonials. That game will be broadcast on the Big 12 Now network on ESPN+, and is scheduled to tip off at 7PM ET. If you don’t already have an ESPN+ subscription, you can sign up here.