MORGANTOWN —
It was Senior Night at West Virginia and their two senior stars — Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant — went out in style as the Mountaineers won a crucial game that may have solidified their place in the NCAA Tournament, 92-75, over DePaul Tuesday.
The victory gave WVU an 18-12 record, 8-9 in Big East play, with the final regular season game Friday at South Florida. DePaul is 11-18 and 2-15 in the conference.
“I don’t think we need to win any more games to get in,” Coach Bob Huggins said.
Bryant led the Mountaineers in scoring with 28 points while Jones, who is the leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year honors, had his 19th double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
“I don’t think he’s getting the notoriety nationally he ought to get because he’s not a high flier,” said Huggins, who has been pushing Jones all season as potential Big East Player of the Year. “He does it every day and at the end of the day he’ll get his 20 and 11 and does it on an incredibly consistent basis against a tremendous schedule.”
Both players have left an indelible mark on WVU basketball, each surpassing 1,500 points in his career.
Jones admitted that sometimes he thinks about his place in Mountaineer history.
“I think about it sometimes, but my career is not over,” he said. “Hopefully, it has another month to go.”
Bryant finished the game with 1,545 points and Jones with 1,766.
“Those guys have had terrific college careers,” DePaul Coach Oliver Purnell said. “Those young men have obviously done a lot here and it’s probably appropriate, but much to chagrin they played the way they played tonight.”
Jones, doing what he does best, scored the game’s first basket on a put back of his own miss and by the time the half ended with WVU in charge at 47-31. Jones had scored 13 points on six of eight shooting and had added seven rebounds.
Bryant hit his first two 3-point shots and was no less on the mark, leading all scorers at halftime with 15 points.
“When I hit my first two shots I usually get on a roll,” he said.
DePaul made its run midway in the first half through pressure, running off 10 straight points to narrow the margin to 33-27.
With the game at six points Bryant stole the ball and cruised coast to coast for the layup, drawing a foul from Edwind McGhee and hitting the free throw. From that point on WVU outscored the Blue Demons 10-2 to take control by 16 points at 47-31.
“Truck not only scores, but he solidifies their offense,” Purnell said. “We didn’t do too well in that and he made us pay every way — not only offensively, but contesting us on the perimeter and Jones dominated the paint.”
Jones offered some addition evidence of why Huggins believes he’s the Player of the Year four minutes into the second half when he missed a jump shot from the foul line but hustled back under the basket and wrestled it away from a couple of Blue Demons then muscled his way back up to hit the follow and draw a foul.
The second half was all the Mountaineers as they got outstanding play out of freshman guard Jabarie Hinds, who had 14 points and six assists, while freshman Keaton Miles had his best game of the year with five points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young led DePaul with 21 points each, while Moses Morgan came off the bench to score 15. Melvin had eight of DePaul’s 27 rebounds, as they were crushed by 20 on the boards.
Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com. Follow on Twitter @bhertzel.
WVU Sports
WVU routs DePaul, gets crucial win
- WVU Sports
-
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Bill Stewart is missed, remembered
It was Monday, the first anniversary of Bill Stewart’s sudden death while playing the 16th hole of a charity golf tournament with West Virginia University’s former athletic director and his former boss, Ed Pastilong.
-
Miles granted release from WVU
Junior forward Keaton Miles, who suffered through a disappointing sophomore season as West Virginia fell below .500, has been granted a release and will seek a transfer, according to published reports.
-
WVU baseball team helps those in tornado’s path
In so many ways it was a day that called for celebration.
Randy Mazey’s West Virginia baseball team, the team that was supposed to finish last in its first Big 12 season, was sitting in third place on what should have been the eve of the conference tournament. -
FURFARI COLUMN: WVU should reinstate men’s track — not golf
West Virginia University has not had a men’s golf team since 1982 in its sports program.
But Oliver Luck, who’s been the school’s athletic director going on three years, reportedly is talking about bringing back that sport “because it’s cheap.” -
HERTZEL COLUMN- Catastrophes make you stop and think
The scenes have been gruesome, devastation everywhere, words flowing from the mouths of reporters that are as difficult to comprehend as are the images on the eyes.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN- Major delivers message: ‘Roll with the punches’
On graduation day, four or five or who knows how many years into one’s college days, you expect to put on your cap and gown and listen to words of wisdom from a commencement speaker more along the lines of Henry Kissinger or Bill Clinton, but that is not to say it is only a day for an academic elitist.
-
WVU wins regular-season finale
The West Virginia University baseball team guaranteed itself a Top 4 finish in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 5-4 victory at No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Irvin’s dreads are gone now he must rebuild reputation
A couple of days back Bruce Irvin sat down in a barber’s chair — stylist’s chair, if you prefer — and made a dramatic and what had to be traumatic move.
He had his dreadlocks removed. -
FURFARI COLUMN: Harrick greatest WVU two-sport coach
The late Steve Harrick was the longest-serving, most-successful two-sport head coach in West Virginia University’s athletic history.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Flying WV logo draws attention outside country
Sometimes you hit a nerve, as we did a while back when we wrote about the wide reach of West Virginia University’s flying WV logo.
It has meant a lot to a lot of people. - More WVU Sports Headlines
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Bill Stewart is missed, remembered
