Eron Harris scored 19 points and West Virginia continued its hot shooting to coast past Old Dominion on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Cancun Challenge.
The Mountaineers shot 56 percent and built a 25-point second-half lead on their way to a 78-60 victory, setting up a Wednesday night showdown against No. 10 Wisconsin in the tournament championship.
After making 3-of-5 from 3-point range, Harris is now shooting 50 percent this season from deep.
Terry Henderson scored 14 points off the bench and Devin Williams enjoyed a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double as WVU (5-1) won its fourth consecutive game. Point guard Juwan Staten produced another solid outing with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, nine assists, three steals and only one turnover.
“Wannie was really good again tonight,” said coach Bob Huggins.
Staten also made his second 3-pointer in two games after going 44 games without one. West Virginia was 8-of-19 from 3-point range while Old Dominion (4-2) made only 5-of-19, including 2-of-8 by Aaron Bacote who finished with 21 points.
The Monarchs shot just 39 percent from the floor overall, though they out-rebounded WVU 35-28.
“Just think what we could do if we could get a defensive rebound,” Huggins said. “We keep giving up a dozen or more, and we’re not going to be able to keep doing that. We can’t keep doing that against good people.”
Old Dominion’s lone lead of the night came at 2-0 in the first minute, before WVU took control to lead 36-24 at the half, with Harris knocking down a 19-foot jumper from the wing shortly before the buzzer.
The Monarchs did themselves no favor by making only 9-of-22 free throws. West Virginia finished 14-of-22 at the line.
Wisconsin defeated Saint Louis 63-57 in Tuesday’s semifinal nightcap.