(Game highlights)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s success over its first two games in Big 12 play was largely predicated on stingy defensive efforts, with the 21st-ranked Mountaineers allowing 61 and 50 points, respectively, in victories at Kansas and against Oklahoma State.
In a rematch with Arizona on Tuesday night inside the WVU Coliseum, the Mountaineers didn’t come close to duplicating either effort.
The Wildcats made 31 field goals and shot better than 50 percent for the game to claim a 75-56 victory that prolongs their unbeaten start to conference play.
“They were well prepared and very physical and they did a nice job of disrupting us from getting to spots,” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t match that at the other end.“
A balanced Arizona (9-5, 3-0) scoring effort was led by KJ Lewis, who needed only 13 shots to score a game-high 21 points. Jaden Bradley chipped in with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting, Anthony Dell’Orso added 10 and Caleb Love scored nine.
It added up to the visitors making more than half of their 61 field-goal attempts to shoot the best percentage (50.8) of any West Virginia (11-3, 2-1) opponent this season.
“We make no bones about it. We’re a team that doesn’t mind scoring in the paint,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We’re not trying to shoot 50 threes.”
The Wildcats lost to West Virginia 83-76 in an overtime matchup six weeks ago in the third-place game of The Battle 4 Atlantis. A critical piece to that outcome was Mountaineer forward Tucker DeVries, who made eight three-pointers and scored 26 points.
But DeVries missed his sixth straight game Tuesday night with an upper body injury that’s brought into question his status for the remainder of the season, while freshman guard KJ Tenner was out for the first time as a Mountaineer after suffering an injury Saturday against the Cowboys.
Amani Hansberry, who returned to the WVU lineup against the Cowboys after missing the matchup at Kansas, was in action again Tuesday, but left for good with 7:48 remaining with an undisclosed injury.
“Everyone is prepared. We practice like everyone is a starter, but we have to pick up the slack for anybody missing from injury and we have to play a little bit harder, because our margin for error is small,” said WVU forward Toby Okani, who has started all 14 games.
By the time Hansberry exited, the outcome was all but decided, with the Wildcats clinging to a 66-50 lead thanks in large part to their response to West Virginia’s best stretch of the contest.
Arizona led 39-28 at halftime and began the second half with a strong 3-minute stretch that created a 45-30 advantage on Bradley’s layup.
The Wildcat lead was 48-34 after a Love three-pointer with 15:32 to play, but the Mountaineers responded with a 9-0 spurt courtesy of a Javon Small three and two Sencire Harris triples, bringing WVU to within five with 14:14 remaining.
That led to Lloyd calling timeout and offering his team a message at a critical point with WVU as close as it had been since a 19-15 deficit 9 minutes into the matchup.
“It’s the old adage that if you told me with however much time left in the game that we’re up five with the ball, I’d feel pretty good,” Lloyd said. “Let’s not get emotional. Let’s get tactical.“
A critical possession followed 1 minute later with the Wildcats still up by five. WVU was on the verge of coming up with a steal, but a scramble instead led to an open look for Dell’Orso, who drilled a triple off the wing for an eight-point lead.
“That was a huge play,” DeVries said.
That started a pivotal 12-2 spurt that also featured a Lewis layup, Carter Bryant’s bucket from close range and Henri Veesaar’s dunk that left Arizona on top, 59-47. A Lewis triple not long after created a 15-point deficit for the Mountaineers, and they never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
“We weren’t being tougher and fighting through screens enough. That’s on me,” Harris said. “I’m that guy that’s supposed to be more energetic and physical and feeding that energy to my team.”
The Mountaineers did not lead after 5-2, and Arizona began to gradually create separation as the first half progressed, taking its first double-digit lead at 27-17 on a Lewis jump shot 7:37 before halftime.
The Wildcats made 16-of-30 shots in the opening half, held a 20-13 rebounding edge and scored 18 paint points to WVU’s eight.
“We had that chip on our shoulder. We knew from The Bahamas how gritty and tough they were, but we know we’re a different team,” Lewis said. “We understand more now about spacing and we’re connecting a little bit more. It’s a stepping stone to our full potential.”
Arizona finished with a 40-31 rebounding advantage and scored 34 bench paints and 36 paint points.
The Mountaineers, essentially utilizing a seven-man rotation, got 10 points from reserves and 22 in the paint.
Javon Small led WVU with 17 points and five assists, but was the only Mountaineer to score in double figures.
Harris, Hansberry and Jonathan Powell scored eight apiece in defeat.
WVU made 21-of-58 shots and 8-of-29 threes.
“I don’t think it was a matter of shots not falling,” DeVries said. “I didn’t think we were as physical and aggressive as we have been and what’s helped us be successful to this point in the season. Our formula is the same. We have to play a certain way to be successful and we understand our margin for error is not very big and if we deviate from that at all, these are the results you get.”
WVU guard Jayden Stone was not on hand for a second straight game and has yet to play this season, though Stone was dressed and participated in warmups in the Big 12 opener at Kansas.
DeVries said his absence is related to a family issue, but has not offered a timetable for Stone to make his WVU debut.
(WVU postgame press conference)