Mountaineers Improve to 6-0
December 11, 2004 04:17 PM | General
December 11, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Tyrone Sally scored 17 points and Patrick Beilein contributed 14 to lead West Virginia to a 71-47 victory over Coppin State Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum. Mike Gansey added 10.
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| Joe Herber fights for a loose ball during Saturday's 71-47 win over Coppin State.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
West Virginia (6-0) is off to its best start since beginning the 1982-83 season 8-0. WVU finished that season with a 23-8 record and earned a berth to the NCAA tournament.
Saturday against Coppin State, the Mountaineers made 12 of 29 three-point shots including hitting seven threes in the first half.
West Virginia got off to a terrific start scoring the first 14 points of the game. Three-point baskets by Sally and two from Mike Gansey forced Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell to call a 30-second timeout.
"It's a start that you like to get into but you also know that you're not going to continue to do that," said West Virginia coach John Beilein. "Coppin State did get back into it."
Following the break, D’or Fischer tacked on a dunk and Sally made his second three before Nicholas King’s three finally ended the Eagles’ scoring drought at 15:34.
A 15-11 Coppin State run over the next seven minutes cut West Virginia’s lead to seven, 25-18, following a Derek Daniels layup. Patrick Beilein was able to answer Coppin State’s run with a three from the corner and Fischer followed with an open jumper to push West Virginia’s lead back to 12.
The Mountaineers got their lead to 15 right before the end of the half when Darris Nichols lobbed a pretty alley oop pass that Fischer was able to throw down for a dunk.
Leading by 17, 52-35, with 11:13 remaining West Virginia made a 13-0 run to turn the game into a rout. Beilein got the run going with a three and added a steal and layup for five straight points. Frank Young contributed a layup and a Sally three-point play preceded another Beilein three to make it 65-35, West Virginia.
West Virginia made 27 of 55 field goal attempts for 49.1 percent and had 18 assists on 27 baskets. Other encouraging figures were West Virginia’s 12 steals and a two-rebound advantage, 32-30.
"We don't win (rebounding) very much so it kind of spoils the record. It's good and we are getting more aggressive there," Beilein said. "We're not going to be a dominating rebound team but I'm not going to trade these guys for other rebounders. We're just going to have to learn to be better rebounders and be more aggressive."
Nicholas King led Coppin State, now 2-6, with 22 points. Darryl Proctor scored 12.
West Virginia's 24-point win was its second-largest of the year and the fourth 20-point victory of the Beilein era at WVU.
West Virginia now has a week break for final examinations. The Mountaineers will resume play next Saturday, Dec. 18, at home against James Madison.
"Tomorrow we're going to rest and some of the guys that did not get good workouts are going to go to the Rec Center tomorrow." Beilein said. "The rest of the guys will have an off day. "It's exam week so Monday we're going to practice and Tuesday is our day off. Then we'll practice the rest of the week."
