Coliseum Blowout
December 28, 2006 10:00 PM | General
December 28, 2006
BOX SCORE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia began with a 12-0 run and never looked back en route to an easy 95-49 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore Thursday night at the WVU Coliseum.
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| Center Rob Summers scores two of his career-high 12 points to help West Virginia to a 95-49 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore Thursday night at the WVU Coliseum.
All-Pro Photography/Allison Toffle |
“We got off to a good start again and that was a key for us tonight,” West Virginia coach John Beilein said. “After that we never really looked back. We didn’t shoot well at the beginning of the game but we did a good job grabbing offensive rebounds and getting second shots.”
Frank Young led five Mountaineer double-figures scorers with 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the field. Young was 4 of 8 from three-point distance. The senior from Tallahasssee, Fla., recorded his ninth straight double figure game and has made 30 three-pointers in his last eight games.
Joe Alexander chipped in 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go along with a career-high 11 rebounds. Da’Sean Butler continued his steady play as the Mountaineer’s sixth man, contributing 12 points off the bench.
“Da’Sean Butler as he has done all year long gives us a huge lift off the bench,” Beilein said. “He gives us offense, he gives us defense and he plays all three forward positions. He picks things up very quickly.”
The other two Mountaineers in double figures had career nights against the Hawks. Rob Summers scored 12 points and collected nine rebounds and Wellington Smith came off the bench to score 12 points, two of which came on a thunderous second half dunk that brought the Coliseum crowd of 7,752 to its feet.
West Virginia (10-1) shot 55 percent from the field. The Mountaineer defense continued its solid play, holding the Hawks to just 30 percent shooting for the game. West Virginia also had a dominant 45-21 rebounding advantage.
Ed Tyson led Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-9) with 13 points.
The competition now gets much stiffer for the Mountaineers, beginning with Saturday’s Big East opener at home against No. 9 and undefeated Connecticut.
“Our schedule hasn’t been a murder’s row but in any season I have ever coached I will take 10-1 no matter who we play. It could have turned out differently but we will take it and get ready for conference play,” Beilein said.
Tip-off against the Huskies is set for 2 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
