MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In West Virginia’s 72-59 loss at UCF last month, the Mountaineers lost the battle on the boards and they were unable to handle the physicality that the Knights brought to the floor.
A change in strategy and a healthy Jesse Edwards made all the difference Tuesday night in front of 8,882 fans at the Coliseum as the Mountaineers defeated UCF, 77-67.
Edwards notched his fifth double-double of the season with a 15-point, 10-rebound effort as WVU put a stop to their four-game losing streak.
“It is a physical team and we knew that coming in, especially after the last game,” Edwards said. “So we expected it and I think we did a good job with it.”
“Having him made a tremendous difference, especially opening up our guard play,” said WVU head coach Josh Eilert.
“You are talking about a 7-plus-footer who is very mobile and active,” said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. “He really finishes well around the basket. If he gets the ball down low, you can pretty much mark two points.”
Edwards’ play, combined with a steady diet of zone defenses, forced the Knights into taking quick shots from the perimeter. UCF made just 9-of-38 shots from beyond the arc.
“We changed some things up defensively in our man and went back-and-forth with our defenses. Certainly, our guys took that and ran with it and executed it. Credit to out guys for taking that approach, especially after the loss in Orlando,” Eilert said.
“I told our guys, ‘They are going to make some shots. We can’t get frustrated when they do. That’s what we are going to live with’.”
WVU outrebounded UCF, 42-36.
“The hardest thing to do in the zone is to rebound out of it because you don’t have a man,” said WVU forward Quinn Slazinski. “What helps with that is us being vocal. Guys were stepping up. It is hard being vocal for the whole game because it was very tiring. We were able to do that.”
“We settled for too many threes,” Dawkins said. “On the road, you can’t do that. Our guys got caught up with getting looks, taking them and settling.”
West Virginia led wire-to-wire after quickly jumping out to a seven-point lead before the first media timeout. The Mountaineers built a 13-point lead in the opening half before UCF closed the gap to seven points, 37-30, at halftime.
The Mountaineers kept the Knights at a distance on the scoreboard in the second half. UCF crept within six points (62-56) with 6:30 to play before WVU pulled away down the stretch.
RaeQuan Battle led the Mountaineers with 24 points. It was his eighth 20-plus point game of the season. In his last three games, Battle has scored 70 points.
“Really just stay the course and don’t let them knock you off your trail. That’s kind of what I did today. I wasn’t trying to talk back to them if they tried to get in my head like last game,” Battle said.
“It is a lesson learned. I just turned it around, especially after a game like Texas when we got blown out of the water. That was when I was like, ‘Alright, I just need to relax and play the game I have always been playing my whole life’.”
“He is doing a lot better of a job in letting the game come to him and being patient with it,” Eilert said. “He is going to get his touches one way or the other.”
Slazinski scored 14 points for the Mountaineers. Josiah Harris scored eight points while making all three of his attempts from the floor in 11 minutes.
“He was excellent coming in,” Eilert said. “We need to find some more minutes for him.”
Kerr Kriisa scored seven points and dished out a game-best seven assists.
West Virginia (9-17, 4-9 Big 12) has drawn even with UCF (13-12, 4-9) in the conference standings. WVU hopes to avoid playing on Day 1 of the Big 12 Tournament, which the bottom four teams will do.
“As much as you guys want us to win, we want it ten times more. I know the fans are so great. But the league is so hard,” Slazinski said.
“Our staff has done a great job in trying to motivate us and keep us locked in for these last few games to really see if we can make something happen in the tournament.”
The Mountaineers will visit Iowa State Saturday and Kansas State on Monday.
“It is critical at this juncture, especially when you go on the road and play two really tough opponents,” Eilert said. “K-State has had their struggles but they are as hard as anyone to beat in Bramlage. You have a two-game road trip. Hilton and Bramlage are not fun places to play.”
Darius Johnson led the Knights with 29 points.
