West Virginia (18-14, 9-9) ended its Big 12 Tournament run early after losing 68-48 to BYU (23-10, 9-9) on Wednesday. In front of NFL legends. including Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Mountaineers were completely outmatched at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
WVU never got anything going throughout its second round matchup against the Cougars, committing 22 turnovers and managing to record just 18 field goals. Read more: WVU goes one-and-done in Big 12 tourney, lose to BYU by 20.
First half
Neither team scored in the opening minute despite both getting good looks at the basket. BYU’s Kennard Davis Jr. notched the first points after hitting a three at the 17:59 mark.
Honor Huff matched him on the other end to give WVU its first points of the Big 12 Tournament. Future top NBA draft pick, AJ Dybantsa, responded with his first bucket with a crafty step-back mid-range jumper. The Mountaineers quickly fired back with a layup from Jasper Floyd and another triple from Huff off a steal created by Treysen Eaglestaff.
Following the first media timeout, Brenen Lorient connected on a jump shot around the paint to give WVU an early 10-5 lead. However, that was quickly erased after BYU went on a 6-0 run fueled by early turnovers from the Mountaineers.
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After WVU eventually tied it up with a free throw from Chance Moore, more miscues caused another 6-0 run by the Cougars. Lorient and Moore added four points off of dunks, but with the Cougars led by Dybantsa they continued to match every Mountaineer make.
Turnovers stack up for WVU
After more WVU turnovers, BYU managed to jump to a 25-17 lead at the final media timeout of the half. Robert Wright III also tacked on another three points out of the break.
Right when the Mountaineers began to look dead in the water, Huff completed a four-point play after being fouled on a corner three. Both teams traded turnovers after that, but after a missed shot from Wright, Lorient connected on a layup to cut the deficit down to five.
As the first half ticked away, West Virginia committed a season-high 14 turnovers in the half, allowing Dybantsa to convert an and-one opportunity. The Cougars went into halftime with a 31-23 lead.
Second half
Eaglestaff opened the second half with a smooth eight-foot floater. Davis immediately responded with another triple. Following a pair of free throws from Huff, Dybantsa continued his scorching hot night with a jumper inside the paint.
After the 16-minute media timeout, Moore converted one of his two free throws. Davis drained another three-pointer on the other end, but Floyd matched him after an offensive rebound from Lorient.
Despite adding to its turnover total, WVU was down just six heading into the second media timeout of the half.
Lorient trimmed that lead down to five after he buried a three following a dunk from BYU’s Dominique Diomande. Floyd elevated for an eight-foot jumper to cut the Cougars lead to just three. However, Wright managed to connect on a contested stepback jumper. The Cougars called a timeout after that with a 45-40 lead with 8:35 left.
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That timeout allowed BYU to increase its lead by two before the eight-minute media stoppage. In spite of committing 18 turnovers at the time, the Mountaineers were managing to stay within striking distance.
Turnovers spoil WVU’s Big 12 hopes
Out of the break, Dybantsa continued to propel the Cougars after burying another mid-range jumper. Following another turnover from WVU, Davis single handedly scored four points in the same possession. After making one free throw and missing the second, he connected on a triple after an offensive rebound from Khadim Mboup.
After he connected on a layup and Lorient turned it over off a traveling violation, the Cougars went into the final media timeout with a commanding 15-point lead.
Huff tried to rally the Mountaineers back with a pair of free throws, but Dybantsa matched him on the other end. After a turnover from Floyd, Wright added two more points to his team’s lead.
At this point, virtually every bucket WVU converted BYU managed to match it. After Davis added to his dominating second half with another triple, BYU called a timeout with 58 seconds left to allow some players off the bench to come in.
All they had to do was run out the rest of the clock and advance to the quartwerifnals with an overwhelming 68-48 victory.
Top performers
WVU: Honor Huff- did all he could to help WVU’s chance with a team-high 17 points. However, like the rest of the team he committed a number of turnovers, four to be exact.
BYU: AJ Dybantsa- proved he was the best player on the court with 27 points and seven rebounds.
BYU: Kennard Davis Jr.- fueled by a strong second half he finished with 20 points.
What’s next
With the loss on Wednesday, West Virginia’s NCAA Tournament are now slim to none. Their best opportunity for a postseason tournament will be at the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
As for the Cougars, they now move on to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. They will take on the No. 2 seeded Houston Cougars on Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m.
