Providence Fried
March 09, 2005 04:26 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – West Virginia took control of the game early against Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, and in the process the Mountaineers may have taken control of its post-season fate.
Needing a win to make its case for inclusion into the NCAA tournament, West Virginia downed the Friars 82-59 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the Big East tournament for just the second time in school history. The 23-point victory was West Virginia's largest in Big East tournament play; the Mountaineers are now 2-8 all-time at the tournament.
West Virginia coach John Beilein still isn't ready to proclaim his team in the tournament yet.
"We have to see where everything falls right now," he said. "Certainly that was a convincing win against a team that has done very well out of conference. That Memphis win will stick out to everybody as well as their Georgetown win to finish up the regular season.
"There are only so many deserving teams the committee can look at," Beilein added. "I just think the committee is terrific and they are going to do what is right. We are certianly very deserving of it. Everybody in West Virginia needs to be rooting for Pacific to win that (Big West) championship (against Utah State)."
In New York Kevin Pittsnogle burned the Friars for 24 points on seven of 14 shooting. The 6-foot-11 junior made five of eight from three-point distance and also hit five of six from the free throw line. Pittsnogle grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
"Every time they would get it to 14 he would hit a dagger on them," said Beilein. "When that ball leaves his hands sometimes I can tell right away that it's got a chance of going in. Sometimes it doesn't hit anything but the bottom."
Tyrone Sally contributed 16 points, Patrick Beilein scored 13 and Mike Gansey added 11 for a West Virginia team that improves to 19-9. The Mountaineers have won seven of their last nine games and made up for their disappointing 66-63 loss at Seton Hall last Saturday.
After a Tuukka Kotti follow up tied the game at two, West Virginia got a three from Pittsnogle and never relinquished its lead.
The Mountaineers used an 8-0 run to take an 11-point lead at 15-4. Pittsnogle scored West Virginia's first 11 points and made four straight to start the run. A Gansey two-handed dunk gave the Mountaineers' a 13-4 lead and he added a tip-in to make it 15-4.
Leading 15-8, WVU used a 13-2 spurt to push its lead to 19, 28-9. Patrick Beilein sank three threes during the run including a bomb from straightaway with 8:50 left in the half to put the Mountaineers up by 19, 28-9.
Providence (14-17) was able to cut West Virginia's lead to 12, 38-26, after a pair of DeSean White free throws at 18:19, but the Mountaineers answered with five straight points – all from the free throw line – to push the lead back to 17. At this point Providence was using full-court pressure to try and get back into the game.
"When they come after you must attack: we cannot let the re-trap us like they did at Providence," said Beilein.
At two points in the second half J.D. Collins hit big threes to stop Providence runs. The first came with 12:41 with the shot clock at one to make it 51-34, and the second came five minutes later when he put the Mountaineers back up by 20.
West Virginia's biggest lead of the game was 23 points tthree times at 78-55, 80-57 and 82-59.
West Virginia made 29 of 61 from the field for 47.5 percent including 12 of 29 from three for 41.4 percent. The Mountaineers were 12 of 15 from the free throw line.
"We watch a lot of tape and sometimes we'll sit there for 40 minutes and watch that laser bounce around and it's tough for them to do. But they've done it and they've been good in the classroom and our coaching staff has done a good job of teaching them and that has put us where we are right now."
Gomes led Providence with 20 points and seven rebounds. In three games against West Virginia this year Gomes scored 20 in Providence, 33 in Morgantown and 20 today, although he wasn't really a factor in the game.
Hanke added 13 for the Friars, which lost three times to the Mountaineers this season.
"I was very concerned even when we were winning lately that we weren't contesting shots and keeping people out of the lane very well and obviously their offensive rebounding stats got really up there," Beilein said. "I think the 1-3-1 worked very well against them a couple of times now. And when we had to go man we were able to keep Gomes from getting his stuff."
Providence made 23 of 61 field goal attempts for 37.7 percent and was just two of 12 from three-point range for 16.7 percent. The Friars owned a 40-32 rebounding advantage but turned the ball over 20 times.
"Our kids played beautifully and I wish I could say it was the game plan but they didn't let us run a game plan," said Beilein.
"We don't have true stars: we've just got players who could be the star of any game."
West Virginia will face No. 1-seeded Boston College Thursday at noon. West Virginia dropped both games to the Eagles this year, falling 73-53 in Morgantown and 62-50 in Boston.
"We pride ourselves on having a good basketball IQ. We'll meet later on tonight and we'll meet again at 8 in the morning then we'll just go and play the game," said Beilein.
The game will be televised on ESPN2.
