Some unusual suspects lead WVU to a crucial 73-55 victory against TCU

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Feb. 26—MORGANTOWN — Eliot Ness and his “Untouchables ” were replaced Tuesday night by WVU’s “Unpredictables.”

As in the Mountaineers kept their NCAA tournament hopes alive following a 73-55 victory against TCU inside the Coliseum, but the key to their critical win was not exactly the usual suspects.

Sure, the box score tells you Javon Small played a major role with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds—just the eighth all-time 20-10-5 game in WVU history—but his supporting cast did more than just reinforce on this night.

BOX SCORE Guys like Sencire Harris, Joseph Yesufu and K.J. Tenner, well, they may have been the foundation of the win that put the Mountaineers (17-11, 8-9 Big 12) in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Big 12.

Now, a three-way tie for seventh doesn’t exactly sound like a reason for celebration, but in a deep and expanded Big 12, staying in the upper half of the league almost assures any team with a respectable resum é like WVU’s a spot in the NCAA tournament.

“They’re all critical at this time of year, ” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “It was a big game. It doesn’t mean your season is over if you lose it, but it certainly would have put us in a tougher spot.”

In any case, we get to the “Unpredictables, ” a group that was led by Harris.

On any given night, the sophomore is the Mountaineers’ defensive muscle.

He was that and then some against the Horned Frogs (15-13, 8-9). It started with a couple of rebounds and then he took on Noah Reynolds’ drive to the basket and sent the shot into the stands.

As the game evolved, so did Harris’ offensive output, which included a step-back jumper from about 15 feet that fell through. Later on, Harris simply drove through the lane and came away with a thunderous dunk.

“It’s just college basketball, points are points for me, ” Harris said. “I just look at it like that.”

His season averages coming into the game were 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds. By halftime, Harris already had 11 points and five rebounds. He…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/unusual-suspects-lead-wvu-crucial-122200772.html

Author : The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Publish date : 2025-02-26 12:22:00

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