CINCINNATI — After shooting 54 percent in the first half of Saturday’s matchup with Xavier, West Virginia went cold in the second half and failed to hit a field goal over the final 4-plus minutes of the game.
As a result, Xavier outscored the Mountaineers by 17 points after halftime and 19-6 over the final 6:46 to come away with an 84-74 victory as part of the Big East-Big 12 battle before a sellout crowd at The Cintas Center.
“They made shots and we did not,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said in his return to Cincinnati to face a team he did annually during his storied career with the Bobcats. “They got open shots and made those. They also made their free throws. We missed our open shots and free throws.”
Huggins preached the importance of taking care of the ball and the Mountaineers finished with 12 turnovers, including seven in the second half.
“We did a good job, didn’t we,” Huggins said rhetorically. “We spend an enormous amount of time trying to fix it. Maybe we should always do dribble handoffs so they can hand it off and not have to pass it. It is hard for me to imagine.”
West Virginia (6-2) had three double-figure scorers, including Erik Stevenson, who led the way with 16 points. Fourteen of Stevenson’s 16 points came in the first half as did all three of his 3-pointers.
Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Jimmy Bell each scored 12 points in defeat.
West Virginia had three separate 8-0 spurts in the first half, including one to extend its lead to 41-30 late in the first haf.
Xavier (6-3) countered with a 6-0 run, before Stevenson knocked down a jumper with four seconds left to send WVU into the break leading 43-36.
The Mountaineers went into the break ahead 43-36.
Bell contributed half of WVU’s first 12 points after the break, including a driving layup with 15:25 left that gave the Mountaineers a 55-50 advantage.
“I learned to be patient,” Bell said. “I do not need to rush anything. I am a big body and can get to any spot. I took my time today, and I was able to score.”
WVU then made only 3-of-10 shots over the next 7 minutes.
While the Mountaineers’ offensive woes lingered throughout the second half, Xavier’s offense became effective through a high pick-and-roll.
Time and time again, the Musketeers’ guards got downhill and found a driving lane or open teammate.
“You have to veer them off one way or another,” Huggins said. “You have to take something away and we do not take anything away. When you stand on the side, you say, ‘Go ahead.’
“We spent three days on the pick-and-roll and I thought we were doing a better job. We didn’t do a good job.”
Huggins believes forwards can help redirect the opposition, but noted that aspect needs improvement in the future.
“I have a hard time understanding why you do not stand in front of someone,” Huggins stated. “Why do you start on the side? It makes no sense to me. I told them I was slow and 6-foot-4, but I stayed in front of the guys. Was I stealing the ball from them and shifting them everywhere? No. I was in front of them, and they had to shoot it over me.”
Seven-footer Jack Nunge took advantage of the scrambling West Virginia defense as he connected on a triple with 4:40 left that put Xavier in front to stay at 73-70.
WVU’s final four points all came from Iowa transfer Joe Toussaint. He finished with nine points.
The Mountaineers missed 11 of their last 12 field-goal attempts.
Xavier was led by Souley Boum’s 23 points. Nunge added 17 to go with 14 rebounds, keying a 34-28 rebounding edge for the Musketeers.
Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel added 14 and 11 points, respectively, in the victory.
Tre Mitchell was limited to nine points in 17 minutes as the forward was plagued by four fouls.
The Mountaineers shot 27 of 59 for the game, while the Musketeers were near 54 percent by making 28-of-52 shots. Xavier also outscored West Virginia by 12 points a the free-throw line.