MORGANTOWN, W.Va .: Andrew Jones hit a 3-runner with 1.8 seconds left to take No.4 Texas to a 72-70 victory over No.14 West Virginia on Saturday.
Jones took a pass from Courtney Ramey and hit an undisputed shot from the right corner after West Virginia’s Emmitt Matthews missed two free throws with 11 seconds left.
Ramey scored 19 points for Texas (10-1, 4-0 Big 12), who trailed for most of the game and had to come back by nine points in the second half. Jones finished with 16 points, Matt Coleman had 13 and rookie Greg Brown had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Texas scored the last seven points of the game and avenged last year’s 38-point loss to West Virginia, which was the fifth-worst loss in program history and the worst under coach Shaka Smart .
Taz Sherman scored 17 points, Sean McNeil added 14 points and Derek Culver had his seventh double-double of the season, with 14 points and 16 rebounds, for the Mountaineers (9-4, 2-3).
West Virginia were on the verge of adding a 54-45 lead midway through the second period, and then Texas got tough on defense.
Coleman blocked Sherman’s layup attempt at the rim. Culver, trying to fight through a pair of defenders, missed another layup on the Mountaineers’ next possession. Kai Jones then blocked another Culver layup attempt and Jones scored on the other end of the field in an 8-0 run that tied the score at 57 with 8:36 to go.
But the Longhorns only regained the lead in the dying seconds.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: The Longhorn Guards seemed to be a quicker step towards the basket. When the Mountaineers tightened their defense, Texas hit the long jump. Texas went 12 of 23 (52%) from the floor after halftime.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers became the first team to score 40 points in the first half against Texas this season. It was a fortuitous reversal for West Virginia after terrible starts in their previous two games. But it was the second half on Saturday where West Virginia struggled this time, scoring just 10 of 34 field goals (29%).
SURVEY IMPLICATIONS
The Longhorns are expected to maintain their standings after a 2-0 week. West Virginia will likely fall further from the top 10.
NEXT
Texas hosts No.18 Texas Tech on Wednesday.
West Virginia plays No.2 Baylor on Tuesday.
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