West Virginia charges back to beat Pitt men

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Basketball coaches always say the key to winning games is the end of the first half and the beginning of the second.

West Virginia coach Ross Hodge walked away from Thursday’s Backyard Brawl pleased.

The Mountaineers used a big run late in the first half and early in the second half and rallied to defeat Pitt, 71-49, before a loud crowd of 12,453 at Hope Coliseum.

West Virginia leads the all-time series 102-90. Pitt had won the two previous meetings.

The Mountaineers got a huge game from a huge guy: senior 7-foot center Harlan Obioha. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

“Harlan kicked our butt,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “We did not do a good job denying the post. We needed to dig better and double more. We will learn from this.”

Capel wanted to see how his team (3-1) would handle the hostile environment from the Mountaineers fans. The game was physical to the point that sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis, senior forward Cameron Corhen and Capel were assessed frustration technical fouls late in the second half to the joy of Mountaineer fans.

Capel said West Virginia did a good job double-teaming Corhen.

“We have to do a better job helping him in those situations,” Capel said. “We did not do a good job passing.”

Senior guard Honor Huff finished with 15 points for West Virginia. He went 9 of 12 from the foul line.

“He’s an atomic bomb,” Capel said. “Especially when you are in this building.”

Obioha said he was going to enjoy the win.

“Just seeing Pitt on the front of their jerseys makes me see red,” Obioha said. “The fans were great, and they pumped us up. I am glad my teammates have confidence in me.”

West Virginia (4-0) led 34-25 at halftime and stretched its lead 46-25 in the second half before Pitt scored during a 32-4 run that straddled halftime.

“We had some mental lapses on defense,” Pitt senior forward Damarco Minor said. “This was our first road game, and we will learn from this.”

Pitt turned the ball over 12 times, and Capel credited WVU for playing well defensively.

Freshman guard Omari Witherspoon and sophomore guard Brandin Cummings, who returned to the Panthers’ lineup after missing the Eastern Michigan game Monday, helped Pitt jump out to a 21-14 lead with 8 minutes left in the first half.

Capel said Cummings was a game-time decision and that he was a little rusty after a good start.

The Mountaineers, after a Cummings basket made it 23-19 with 6:14 left in the half, outscored the Panthers, 15-2. The Panthers’ only points in that run came from free throws by Thomas.

A 3-pointer by Huff ignited the Mountaineers, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 21-17 with 6:32 left.

Pitt was 10 for 26 from the floor and 2 for 11 from beyond the arc in the first half. WVU was 13 for 31 and 4 for 15 in that span. The Panthers finished making 20 of 53, and the Mountaineers were 24 of 56.

Freshman forward D.J. Thomas and Obioha each scored 10 points for WVU in the first half.

“The crowd gave us energy,” WVU senior guard Jasper Floyd said. “This game means a lot for the students and the state.”

Obioha added: “Being physical and not looking for fouls was the key. Defensively, we played with a lot of intensity.”

Pitt cut the WVU lead to 50-40 midway through the second half, but the Mountaineers went on a 13-0 run to ice the game away. The Panthers nailed three consecutive 3-pointers that had Mountaineers fans fearing a comeback.

Floyd added 13 points and Thomas 10.

Corhen led Pitt with 12 points and Witherspoon added 11. Cummings had seven points.

WVU was predicted to finish 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll. They have won 164 of their last 186 games when holding opponents to 69 points or less.

The Mountaineers also have made at least one 3-pointer in 900 consecutive games.