Mountaineers Mauled NCCU No Match for Short-Handed WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Freshman Jonathan Powell scored a season-high 17 points, Joseph Yesufu added 14 points and short-handed West Virginia beat North Carolina Central 79-45 on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers were without several key players due to injury but managed to dominate the Eagles from the opening tip. WVU’s potent offense was on full display as Powell and Yesufu combined for eight 3-pointers, including four apiece. Powell also added six rebounds and an assist in his breakout performance.

“It was a great team effort,” Powell said. “We were down a few guys, but everyone stepped up and filled their roles. It was a lot of fun to play with these guys.”

Yesufu echoed Powell’s sentiment. “We knew we had to come out strong, especially with some of our teammates out,” he said. “We didn’t want to let them down. We came out and executed our game plan, and it paid off.”

WVU led by as many as 35 points in the second half before cruising to the 34-point victory. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Eagles 43-24 and forced 19 turnovers.

“Our defense was huge,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “We’ve been working on it in practice, and it paid off tonight. We were able to get out and pressure their guards, which led to some easy baskets.

The Mountaineers improved to 8-2 on the season while the Eagles fell to 2-7. WVU is back in action on Saturday when they face rival Pitt at home.

“It was a great win for us,” Huggins said. “Now we need to get healthy and prepare for a big game on Saturday.”