West Virginia Mountaineers Overwhelmed at Fertitta Center by Sharp Houston Cougars

The West Virginia Mountaineers faced a challenging contest against the Houston Cougars, culminating in a 55-89 defeat. The Mountaineers now stand with an unranked status, while the Cougars boast a rank of 3. The first half saw the Mountaineers accumulate 22 points to the Cougars' dominant 48. Despite an improved second-half performance with 33 points, it was not enough to close the gap against the home team's additional 41 points.

The West Virginia Mountaineers struggled to find their rhythm at Fertitta Center, shooting only 32 percent from the field compared to Houston's impressive 53 percent. From beyond the arc, they managed just four successful attempts out of twenty-three, translating to a mere seventeen percent three-point shooting rate. Conversely, Houston demonstrated their sharpshooting prowess by hitting fifty percent of their three-point shots.

In terms of rebounding, West Virginia gathered thirty-four rebounds throughout the game but were outdone by Houston's forty rebounds. The offensive boards were evenly matched at nine each; however, defensively West Virginia secured nineteen rebounds against Houston’s more substantial twenty-nine.

West Virginia did excel in free throw accuracy with seventy-five percent made from twenty attempts but this silver lining was overshadowed by other facets where they fell short. They were able to put up twenty points in paint and added ten fast break points but these efforts paled when compared to Houston’s forty-eight paint points and modest four fast break points.

Turnovers also told part of the story for West Virginia as they committed twelve turnovers during play which translated into only three points off turnovers for them; meanwhile, Houston capitalized on this aspect scoring fourteen off turnovers from just five total giveaways.

Assists also highlighted differences between team performances – while West Virginia had ten assists on eighteen field goals made reflecting an assist-to-turnover ratio of one; on contrast stands Houston who dished out sixteen assists leading them towards thirty-four field goals made and showcasing an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of three point two.

Defensively both teams showed presence under their respective baskets with blocks and steals contributing to game dynamics – five blocks and three steals for West Virginia versus nine blocks and ten steals for Houston indicating more aggressive defensive plays from home side.

Looking ahead after this tough outing at Fertitta Center for fans following closely will be another opportunity as next game is scheduled back home at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown against Kansas State Wildcats on January ninth at six PM Eastern Time broadcasted via ESPN+ internet network where supporters can tune in hoping for better fortunes.