Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No. 15 West Virginia overcame a 10-point second half deficit to defeat Western Kentucky 70-64 to win the 2020 Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic championship at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Tournament MVP
Derek Culver scored 15 points in his head-to-head matchup with touted Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey, who also scored 15.
Culver scored 45 points in the three tournament games and the Mountaineers needed all 15 today, especially down the stretch after the Hilltoppers took a 45-35 lead with 15:37 remaining on a Bassey dunk.
Culver immediately answered with a layup to key a 17-7 Mountaineer run to tie the game with 8:39 left on Deuce McBride's layup.
A defensive stop led to a
Taz Sherman 3, and McBride added two free throws to boost the lead to 57-52.
Sean McNeil's only 3 of the game in transition expanded the lead to nine, 64-55, with 3:57 to go.
A Bassey tip-in with 59 seconds remaining trimmed WVU's lead to four, 66-62, but free throws by McBride and McNeil put the game away for West Virginia, now 3-0 for the season.
"We didn't guard anybody in the first half and kind of let them do what they wanted to do and then in the second half when we started getting under them a little bit we made them score the ball over us the game gets a little bit harder," West Virginia coach
Bob Huggins said.
McBride, who contributed 14 points, was named to the all-tournament team, but senior forward
Gabe Osabuohien was the top complimentary guy this afternoon. Osabuohien played a tremendous all-around game today with 8 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.
It was Osabuohien's effort at both ends of the floor that really keyed West Virginia's comeback victory.
"He's the guy who really sets the tempo for us in terms of how hard we play," Huggins said. "He's also without a question our best defender. He gets his hands on more balls and he's our most versatile defender.
"And he made some shots today in no way, shape or form he could have made a year ago," Huggins added.
Sherman came off the bench to score 12, his second-double digit performance of the season.
Sophomore forward
Oscar Tshiebwe had another rough outing with just 5 points to go along with seven rebounds. In three games so far this year, the Naismith Award candidate has scored 7, 11 and 5 points in the Mountaineers' three victories.
"We've got to get Oscar going," Huggins said.
He continued.
"Quite frankly, we've got 13 good players and so then you get a little bit of pouting going on because some guys don't get the minutes they think they deserve or maybe the minutes they had a year ago," Huggins said. "We have good kids – good, quality guys – and I understand. I was one of those guys who sat on the bench my whole freshman year. I was fortunate enough to dig my way out of it and that's what they've got to do. If somebody is playing better than you the remedy for that is you play better. Bring your game up to their standard."
West Virginia once again limited its 3-point attempts after trying 32 in the season opener against South Dakota State on Wednesday night. WVU tried just 12 today, making five, after trying only 16 in yesterday's victory over VCU.
Western Kentucky (2-1) shot just 43.5% from the floor and was limited to just eight free throw attempts today. In WKU's first two wins against Northern Iowa and Memphis, it attempted 55 free throws, making 46.
West Virginia will fly back to Clarksburg this afternoon and will take Saturday off before beginning preparations to face No. 1-rated Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic Wednesday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
"Obviously, we're going to take tomorrow off and practice some on Sunday and we're going to go on Monday and then Tuesday leave for Indianapolis," Huggins said.
The Zags showed today their No. 1 rating is deserved by routing Auburn 90-67 in the Rocket Mortgage Ft. Myers Tip-Off in Ft. Myers, Florida. Gonzaga defeated Kansas 102-90 in its season opener.
