LUBBOCK, Texas —The Big 12’s top scorer hardly looked the part in the opening half, making only 1-of-5 shots.
But Eron Harris resurrected his game during a topsy-turvy second half, finishing with 18 points—right on his season average—to help West Virginia survive with an 89-86 overtime victory at Texas Tech.
COLUMN: Allan Taylor recaps the Mountaineers’ narrow win
“For some reason, I wasn’t really feeling it in the first half,” said Harris. “But in the second half I just put that in the back of my mind. I just said I’ve got to do something for my team.”
The thrill of an overtime road win somewhat eclipsed the frustration of West Virginia blowing an 11-point second-half lead.
“Now that we won it’s fun, but during the game it’s like ‘Why can’t we just get this done?'” said Harris. “But we just grinded it out.”
For certain, West Virginia faces much tougher competition ahead, including a visit from No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday. Yet there’s something to be said for meeting expectations on this road trip—and avoiding losses to the Big 12’s two lowest-RPI teams.
“I don’t care what team you’re playing in the Big 12, it’s a tough conference,” Harris said. “It’s significant.”
See the complete postgame interview from Harris above.