Post by rainman on Nov 19, 2007 7:42:48 GMT -5
WVU men blow out Prairie View A&M, 106-41
MORGANTOWN — Prairie View A&M, which lost by just 89-75 at No. 7 Tennessee last Friday night, didn’t even come close to being competitive against West Virginia in men’s basketball here Sunday afternoon.
The unranked Mountaineers (2-0) blew out the Panthers 106-41 to advance to the semifinals of the StubHub Legends Classic before a Coliseum turnout of 5,933.
In making its record 1-3, Prairie View tied the record for turnovers by a WVU opponent with a total of 34. The record was first set by Delphi on Dec. 13, 1979.
West Virginia now moves on to Newark, N.J., where it will meet Tennessee on Friday night in the Legends Classic.
“We are getting better,” said Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers’ new head coach. “I think they’re starting to believe in what we want them to do.
“They took Prairie View out of its offense today. But we need to swing the ball more, and we should have rebounded better than we did.”
WVU shot a sizzling 54.7 percent from the field (35-64), including 57.7 percent from three-point range (15-26). The Panthers made only 21.4 percent of their shots (12-56).
The Mountaineers managed a 43-35 margin in rebounds. But they continue to turn the ball over excessively (19 times).
Alex Ruoff scored a gamehigh 22 points. Center Jamie Smalligan and guard Darris Nichols tallied 13 each.
Joe Alexander and reserve Jacob Green led WVU in rebounding with seven each.
Brian Ezeh had seven rebounds to go with 10 points for the Panthers. Aaron Smith led them in scoring with 14 points.
Huggins used all 13 players, just as he had done in last Friday night in a season’sopening 81-53 win over Arkansas-Monticello.
WVU jumped out to a 235 lead in the opening nine minutes, then rode an 18-0 spree into a commanding 54-18 cushion at halftime.
It was the most points in the first half by WVU since Dec. 15, 2001, when it had 56 against Robert Morris. That team went on to win 102-86 at the Coliseum.
Sunday’s 36-point halftime lead is the fourth-largest in school history. The last time WVU led by 36 or more at intermission was Dec. 14, 1996.
That night the spread was 38 points against East Tennessee State. The final score was 110-59.
West Virginia led by 77-33 with 10 minutes left in Sunday’s blowout. The largest lead was 67 points at 104-37 with 3:18 remaining.
“We started out well early and made rotations,” Huggins observed. “But then we stopped again.
“We need to use the corners more. We turned the ball over too many times. We were real flat at the beginning of the second half.”
Nichols said he couldn’t explain why Prairie View did so well against Tennessee and so poorly against WVU.
“Maybe (playing) Tennessee tired them out,” he suggested. “But we did improve on some things, and forcing them into turnovers was something we talked about.”
Ruoff, who had 18 points at halftime, said in pressing, the Panthers left a man open and WVU was able to capitalize.
“In the first five minutes of the second half, it was defense and turnovers. I think we were playing well (forcing loose balls).
“I thought there was a world of difference in our intensity today and that of last Friday. It’s definitely better.
“But we still have more work to do.”
Da’Sean Butler, who had nine points and three assists, said, “We just attacked them. I think we have a good grasp of the system now.”
MORGANTOWN — Prairie View A&M, which lost by just 89-75 at No. 7 Tennessee last Friday night, didn’t even come close to being competitive against West Virginia in men’s basketball here Sunday afternoon.
The unranked Mountaineers (2-0) blew out the Panthers 106-41 to advance to the semifinals of the StubHub Legends Classic before a Coliseum turnout of 5,933.
In making its record 1-3, Prairie View tied the record for turnovers by a WVU opponent with a total of 34. The record was first set by Delphi on Dec. 13, 1979.
West Virginia now moves on to Newark, N.J., where it will meet Tennessee on Friday night in the Legends Classic.
“We are getting better,” said Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers’ new head coach. “I think they’re starting to believe in what we want them to do.
“They took Prairie View out of its offense today. But we need to swing the ball more, and we should have rebounded better than we did.”
WVU shot a sizzling 54.7 percent from the field (35-64), including 57.7 percent from three-point range (15-26). The Panthers made only 21.4 percent of their shots (12-56).
The Mountaineers managed a 43-35 margin in rebounds. But they continue to turn the ball over excessively (19 times).
Alex Ruoff scored a gamehigh 22 points. Center Jamie Smalligan and guard Darris Nichols tallied 13 each.
Joe Alexander and reserve Jacob Green led WVU in rebounding with seven each.
Brian Ezeh had seven rebounds to go with 10 points for the Panthers. Aaron Smith led them in scoring with 14 points.
Huggins used all 13 players, just as he had done in last Friday night in a season’sopening 81-53 win over Arkansas-Monticello.
WVU jumped out to a 235 lead in the opening nine minutes, then rode an 18-0 spree into a commanding 54-18 cushion at halftime.
It was the most points in the first half by WVU since Dec. 15, 2001, when it had 56 against Robert Morris. That team went on to win 102-86 at the Coliseum.
Sunday’s 36-point halftime lead is the fourth-largest in school history. The last time WVU led by 36 or more at intermission was Dec. 14, 1996.
That night the spread was 38 points against East Tennessee State. The final score was 110-59.
West Virginia led by 77-33 with 10 minutes left in Sunday’s blowout. The largest lead was 67 points at 104-37 with 3:18 remaining.
“We started out well early and made rotations,” Huggins observed. “But then we stopped again.
“We need to use the corners more. We turned the ball over too many times. We were real flat at the beginning of the second half.”
Nichols said he couldn’t explain why Prairie View did so well against Tennessee and so poorly against WVU.
“Maybe (playing) Tennessee tired them out,” he suggested. “But we did improve on some things, and forcing them into turnovers was something we talked about.”
Ruoff, who had 18 points at halftime, said in pressing, the Panthers left a man open and WVU was able to capitalize.
“In the first five minutes of the second half, it was defense and turnovers. I think we were playing well (forcing loose balls).
“I thought there was a world of difference in our intensity today and that of last Friday. It’s definitely better.
“But we still have more work to do.”
Da’Sean Butler, who had nine points and three assists, said, “We just attacked them. I think we have a good grasp of the system now.”
