CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia placed four players in double figures and Juwan Staten jumpstarted the blowout with a dazzling dunk. Yet Bob Huggins cited an unlikely hero after his team coasted past William & Mary 82-45 on Sunday.
The Mountaineers’ coach thought the disciplined defense of reserve forward Kevin Noreen was crucial in stopping the Tribe’s Princeton attack.
“I thought Kevin Noreen kind of turned it around for us,” Huggins said. “He came in and did a good job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the floor and the high post. That forced them to take some shots they probably didn’t want to take and got us out in transition.
Boxscore: West Virginia 82, William & Mary 45
A starter in this season’s first 11 games, Noreen came off the bench for the second straight time and made an impact after William & Mary forward Tim Rusthoven scored six points in the opening 2:39.
“He kept the ball out of where they (William & Mary) want to run offense from, when Brandon (Watkins) and Devin (Williams) neither one did,” Huggins said.
Noreen registered three points, six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. He also made a flat-footed block on a shot by Marcus Thornton after the Tribe’s point guard penetrated into the lane.
Watch the coach’s complete postgame news conference above.