CONWAY, S.C. — Hiding in the shadows somewhere over the course of West Virginia’s first three games was Lamont West’s jump shot.
It laid there waiting for that moment when a team didn’t respect his ability as a shooter and gave him some room.
That moment came Sunday, during the Mountaineers’ 97-90 victory against Saint Joseph’s in the third-place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
“I’m a shooter,” West said after coming off the bench for the first time this season and scoring a career-high 27 points. “I don’t even really look at the last shots I took or how many I’ve missed. I just look forward to the next one.”
West entered the game shooting 23.5 percent from 3-point range, but made 7-of-11. His final 3-pointer gave the Mountaineers a 92-79 lead with 2:41 left, and he capped off the victory with a breakaway slam dunk in the final seconds.
It was not the kind of game Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli was expecting from the junior forward. A self-admitted numbers guy when it comes to developing a game plan, Martelli was the first to tip his hat to West’s performance.
“I don’t know the dude, but he was a starter for three games and he came off the bench today,” Martelli said. “If you watch on tape, his shot wasn’t that explosive. I hand it to him. If you don’t want to play, go home. He played.”
West was 5-of-6 from 3-point range in a first half that saw 16 ties.
“It’s always in my head that if I miss the last three then I’m going to make the next three,” West said. “It doesn’t matter to me how I played in the last game. The scouting report says I’m a shooter. If they don’t guard me because of my numbers then that’s a big mistake.”
West Virginia played without starting point guard Beetle Bolden, who is listed as day-to-day with a left elbow injury. In his place, Jermaine Haley started, but former South Charleston standout Brandon Knapper also came off the bench to deliver his best game with nine points, five rebounds and five assists.
Sagaba Konate added 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a game where he did his damage from the inside the paint.
West showed early that he was going to have a special game. He was 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the first half, helping the Mountaineers (2-2) keep pace with the Hawks (3-2). The first half featured a combined 100 points, 17 3-pointers and 10 lead changes.
“We need him to do that,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “Now, he’s not going to get 27 every time, but we need him to make open shots.”
The idea to bring West off the bench, Huggins said, came after a pregame conversation between the two. “I felt like he was putting a lot of pressure on himself,” Huggins said. “I just thought bring him off the bench, maybe he would feel more comfortable and wouldn’t feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. He came out and played well today.”
Another bonus for the Mountaineers: They committed just 12 turnovers.
That is newsworthy considering WVU committed 59 over its first three games of the season, including 22 in a loss to Western Kentucky on Friday.
Saint Joseph’s (3-2) committed only seven turnovers, but was outrebounded, 39-29, and the Hawks’ foul trouble saw the Mountainneers get a season-high 26 points from the free-throw line.
“We’re a team that doesn’t foul, but it’s November for the referees, too,” Martelli said.
That foul trouble plagued Hawks guard Charlie Brown, who entered averaging 23.8 points per game. He fouled out on a charging call against Knapper with 8:07 remaining and finished with 18 points.
One of his five fouls was a technical for slapping the backboard on a slam dunk early in the second half. “For Charlie Brown to get that technical foul; it’s a silly play,” Martelli said. “It’s from too much of that damn NBA2K or whatever the hell it is that they play.”
In his place, Saint Joseph’s point guard Lamarr Kimble scored 31 points and Taylor Funk and Jared Bynum each added 16.
The Hawks were 13-of-25 from 3-point range. WVU countered by making 15-of-29 from 3.
Wes Harris added 13 points for the Mountaineers and Esa Ahmad finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
“I thought it was a really good team effort,” Huggins said. “Esa turned it over early and I took him out because we just can’t do that anymore. Enough is enough. To his credit, he didn’t sulk. He cheered for his teammates and then he came out and played a great second half.
“We’re getting there. We’re not good enough defensively, but we’ll get there.”