Box Score Marquette used some torrid second-half shooting to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit and down West Virginia 82-71 in the second semifinal game of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, Friday night.
 
It was a tale of two halves for West Virginia, which drops to 3-1 with tonight's loss. 
 
The Mountaineers took advantage of Kur Kuath's early foul trouble to build a 12-point halftime lead. When Kuath drew his second foul and went to the bench with 14:48 remaining, the Golden Eagles were leading the Mountaineers 14-8. 
 
West Virginia then used a 17-2 run to take a 25-16 lead, and it got to 10 with 4:58 left on Malik Curry's jumper. A Sean McNeil basket pushed the lead to 11 and another McNeil jumper with 42 seconds left pushed the advantage to 14.
 
The Mountaineers shot 58% in the first half, limited Marquette to 42.2% and morre than held their own on the glass 18 to 15.
 
In the second half, it was a compete reversal. Everything West Virginia did well in the first half Marquette did well in the second half.
 
The Golden Eagles shot 64% after intermission, including 8 of 13 from 3, outrebounded West Virginia 22 to 14, and the turnovers the Mountaineers were generating during their first three wins against Oakland, Pitt and Elon were non-existent in the second half.

Huggins said the defensive intensity his team played with in the first half did not continue when the team returned to the floor after intermission.

"They were all penetrate and pitch shots," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said of Marquette's 47-point second half explosion. "Whoever touched the ball straight-lined it and we stood around. In the first half they didn't. How many times did they drive it to the goal and one of our guys moved to stop him and the rest of our guys stood and looked?"
 
Marquette's 13-0 run early in the second half flipped the game, and the Golden Eagles never trailed after Kam Jones' 3 gave Marquette a 63-60 lead with 9:25 left.

"Every game we've had this year we've come out and played pretty well in the first half and then came out flat as can be in the second half," Huggins said.
 
Tyler Kolek scored a team-high 18 while all 12 of Jones' points were scored in the second half. Darryl Morsell also scored 11 for the Golden Eagles, which have already gotten victories this week over Big Ten Illinois, SEC Ole Miss and Big 12 West Virginia.
 
Kuath made all four of his shot attempts for 8 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots.
 
West Virginia missed its last five shots, six of its last seven and went scoreless for the remaining 3:39. WVU's top two scorers, Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil, went a combined 3 for 19 in the second half and overall the Mountaineers connected on just 9 of their 33 second-half field goal tries.

"We had to have missed 10 layups in the second half," Huggins said. "We had to miss another seven or eight paint-touch shots. It just blows my mind when you are on the inside with a guy behind you and you've got to double-pump and miss a layup."
 
For the game, Sherman led everyone with 21 points on 7 of 16 shooting. McNeil added 12 on 4 of 13 shooting while Jalen Bridges tallied 11. The sophomore forward was 4 of 6 from the floor.
 
Marquette advances to the championship game to play 22^nd-ranked St. Bonaventure, which rallied to beat Clemson. 
 
The Mountaineers and the Tigers will play the third-place game on Sunday at 5 p.m.