If first-year West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries had questions regarding his team’s resiliency before playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis, they’ve likely been answered over the last 48 hours.
For the third time in as many days, West Virginia went to overtime in the eight-team event, this time in a third-place matchup against No. 24 Arizona from Paradise Island, Bahamas.
For the second time, the Mountaineers never trailed in the extra session. West Virginia scored on all but one possession in overtime, and after allowing the Wildcats to overcome a five-point deficit in the final 41 seconds of regulation, the Mountaineers responded to earn an 83-76 victory.
“I’ve never been a part of three games like that, especially the quality of opponents we went up against,” DeVries said. “Incredible resolve, toughness and grit from our group. Coming away with a win tonight in overtime, I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”
After defeating No. 3 Gonzaga in overtime Wednesday and then falling short Thursday against Louisville in another 45-minute affair, the Mountaineers (5-2) rose to the occasion to defeat a Big 12 newcomer in what will count as a non-conference game.
West Virginia scored 10 points over its first four overtime possessions, including a short jumper from Amani Hansberry that broke a 66-all tie 23 seconds into the extra period.
Tucker DeVries followed with his last of eight three-pointers to put WVU up by five, before Toby Okani poured in five points in a 50-second span, including a corner three that left the Mountaineers with a 76-70 advantage.
“Some of it is my fault. We went matchup hunting a little too much in parts. We needed to stick with our motion, and in overtime, we went back to that again,” coach DeVries said. “Our team is at its best when we get pieces moving, the balls moving and guys screening into actions. We have guys that are willing passers.”
Caleb Love’s layup with 49 seconds left pulled the Wildcats to within 78-74 — the only time the deficit got inside six after Okani’s trey with 2:18 left in OT.
WVU point guard Javon Small countered by making two free throws with 46 seconds remaining, part of Small’s seven points on eight free-throw attempts in overtime.
West Virginia made 4-of-4 field-goal attempts and 7-of-8 free throws in the overtime to overcome Arizona’s 5-for-9 shooting over the final 5 minutes. The Wildcats had only one rebound in OT, and after struggling on the glass early, the Mountaineers finished with a 40-39 edge on the boards.
Hansberry led all players with 10 boards.
“I felt like we were the team that was ready for overtime,” Okani said. “We had played two overtime games and went in there confident that we had an extra 5 minutes to prove that we should win the game.”
West Virginia led 39-37 at halftime on the strength of DeVries’ 5-for-7 three-point shooting. He led all players with 17 points at the break, while Okani had scored 10 at that point.
DeVries picked up his third foul with 17:05 remaining and WVU leading 46-42, and the senior sat for a lengthy stretch.
During nearly 5 minutes that WVU’s top scorer was sidelined, the Mountaineers stuck right with Arizona and maintained a 49-46 lead when he checked back in.
“I trust the guys we have coming off the bench,” coach DeVries said. “Tucker came out with three fouls and we didn’t want him to pick up his fourth too early in the second half. I have the utmost confidence in guys off the bench and that they’ll come in and make plays.”
Small then made a three, and it was followed by a KJ Tenner basket for an eight-point WVU advantage.
DeVries’ triple with 11 minutes to play gave WVU its largest lead of the game — 57-47.
The Mountaineers never trailed after halftime, but went cold late and the Wildcats battled back to play an extra 5 minutes.
DeVries led all players with 26 points and made 8-of-12 triples. Okani added a season-high 20 points and made 7-of-11 shots.
“You’re not thinking about how tired you are,” Tucker DeVries said. “The team that thinks about how tired they are is going to fold. Our group stuck with it and focused on the next play. That’s ultimately what got us over the hump in this one.”
Hansberry scored 13 to finish with a double-double combined with his rebounding total, while Small had 14 points and eight assists over 43 minutes.
Love led the Wildcats with 24 points. Trey Townsend added 19.
The Mountaineers were without an injured Eduardo Andre and played Haris Elezovic seven minutes.
WVU had a 24-6 advantage in points off turnovers and 16-8 in fast break points to help offset Arizona’s 38 paint points to the Mountaineers’ 20.
“They showed a lot of character, a lot of heart. Those guys were probably running on fumes, but they had a lot of pride,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Their coach did a great job managing the game and calling the right plays at the right time. They were opportunistic in transition and otherwise were comfortable walking the ball up the court.”