AMES, Iowa — Juwan Staten’s 19-point game wasn’t nearly enough, not on an evening where West Virginia was faced with tying to win a shootout against Iowa State.
After the Cyclones prevailed 83-66, becoming the third straight opponent to breach the 80-point mark and 50-percent shooting, West Virginia’s point guard suggested his team needs to adopt more of a defensive-first mentality.
“The main thing is we’re not playing defense, and when you don’t play defense, you’ve got to outscore teams,” he said. “We’re a team that’s very dangerous when we’re hot, but when we’re cold we’re not that good.”
West Virginia wasn’t very good in Wednesday night’s loss, shooting only 35 percent. Staten made 8-of-19 shots, Eron Harris was just 4-of-14 and Gary Browne finished 1-of-9 despite several all-by-himself looks. Yet more frustrating than the shooting funk, said Staten, was the inconsistent defensive rotations.
“We’ve played 28 games now and this is supposed to be something that’s regular,” he said. “It’s supposed to be something that’s routine.”