Mountaineers play catchup to win Capital Classic

West Virginia guard Gary Browne (14) celebrates a 3-pointer against Marshall during the second half Sunday at the Charleston Civic Center.

 

CHARLESTON,W.Va. — With the Capital Classic on upset alert, No. 22 West Virginia trailed by eight points midway through the second half when Bob Huggins made his most curious substitution of the young season.

He removed Big 12 preseason player of the year Juwan Staten.

Absent its star point guard for the next seven-plus minutes, West Virginia charged back before Staten’s re-entry provided three clutch plays in a 69-66 win that felt more like an escape.

“This is just the sign of us being a team,” said Staten, who paced the Mountaineers with 15 points but yielded team MVP honors to freshman Jevon Carter.

That recognition easily could have gone to steady-handed Gary Browne, who produced 10 points and two steals in 27 turnover-free minutes, steering West Virginia (9-1) back into contention with Staten on the bench.

BOXSCORE: West Virginia 69, Marshall 66

“I thought Gary was the difference in the game,” Huggins said. “I just didn’t think (Staten) wasn’t as productive as what he normally is. I thought Gary was more productive.”

Browne twice broke ties, once on free throws and then with a 3-pointer that put WVU ahead 56-53 edge with 5:21 left.

“I’m not going to take over the game, that’s not me,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m going to make sure we do what we need to do to win.”

While Staten wasn’t sure what led to his lengthy removal—”I didn’t ask any questions. I just sat there until they told me to go back in,”—he played hungry upon returning with 4:14 to go and his team up 58-57. The Naismith candidate made sure WVU avoided an embarrassing loss to its in-state challenger.

His drive-and-dish set up Jonathan Holton’s basket before Staten buried his trusty 17-foot pull-up for a 62-60 lead. With 7 seconds left, Staten added two free throws that forced Marshall (3-6) to try an off-target 3-point shot by 6-foot-9 center JP Kambola.

“We still don’t know how to win a game,” said Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni, whose team has lost six straight during the past 23 days. “It was a close ballgame. That ballgame could turn on one, two or three different plays.”

Marshall’s last try: Was Browne worried about Kambola forcing overtime with his last-second 3?

“Not really,” Browne said. “It was a big guy and he shoots like 15 percent.”

Actually, Kambola was making 33 percent of his long-range attempts before the miss. (He was 5-of-15 this season after attempting no 3-pointers the previous two years.) The Canadian-born senior had open look from the right wing but his jumper kicked off the rim.

Huggins didn’t want his players risking a foul as Marshall raced upcourt in the final seconds.

“There’s too many bad things that happen when you foul,” Huggins said. “What happens if you reach in to foul and the guy jumps up like he’s trying to shoot? What happens if they make one (free throw), miss one and then tip it out and make a 3 and we lose?”

Nor did D’Antoni second-guess the final sequence, which was designed to set up 3-point shooter Austin Loop. Asked whether he should have called timeout after Staten’s free throws, the Marshall coach responded: “Why? So (Huggins) over there can plan how to stop me?”

Claiming his team was clear on the play he wanted to run, D’Antoni decided against giving WVU’s defense a chance to regroup.

“We had the set, and it would’ve worked if we had gotten to it,” he said. “We just needed to get the ball upcourt a little quicker.”

Marshall MVP plays big: A year removed from a torn ACL, Justin Edmonds contributed 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, along with six assists and six rebounds. He capped the day’s best all-around performance by sinking a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to make it a one-possession deficit.

“Justin gives you everything he’s got,” said D’Antoni. “He’s not 100 percent. I saw film of him before he came here and he was much more explosive. But he’s a tough individual playing on about 80 percent.”

Shooting disparity: While West Virginia shot only 38 percent overall and 3-of-17 from 3-point range, Marshall made 50 percent and 9-of-24 from distance.

Despite making 7-of-8 free throws at the end, the Mountaineers finished only 22-of-34 at the foul line.

Carter scores 14: For the second consecutive year, a WVU freshman took home the team MVP award at the Capital Classic.

“I wouldn’t say I carried the team—I just did my job, did my role,” said Carter, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes.

Last year’s MVP, center Brandon Watkins, contributed five points and three rebounds this time, along with a team-worst four turnovers.





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