Mountaineers Outpaced by Sooners at Lloyd Noble Center
The West Virginia Mountaineers faced a challenging contest against the Oklahoma Sooners, concluding with a 63-77 defeat. The Mountaineers now stand with an unranked status, while the Sooners hold the 15th rank nationally. The first half saw the Mountaineers trailing with 25 points to the Sooners' 29, and despite a more productive second half scoring 38 points, they couldn't close the gap as Oklahoma surged ahead with an additional 48 points.
West Virginia's performance was marked by their commendable shooting from within the arc, converting 61 percent of their two-point attempts. However, their three-point efforts fell short at a mere 30 percent success rate. Free throws were sunk with relative consistency at a rate of 70 percent. Despite these efforts, West Virginia struggled on rebounds securing only 19 compared to Oklahoma's dominant tally of 33.
Defensively, West Virginia managed to block three shots and made nine steals throughout the game but committed more personal fouls than their opponents (19 against Oklahoma's 13). Offensively, they recorded ten assists but turned over possession sixteen times which translated into seventeen points for Oklahoma off turnovers.
The Mountaineer’s standout moments included scoring twenty-four points in paint and six second-chance points; however, they only managed two fast break points indicating difficulty in capitalizing on quick transition play. Their assist-to-turnover ratio stood at just over half (0.67), reflecting challenges in maintaining possession under pressure from an aggressive Sooner defense that stole the ball eleven times.
On individual performances for West Virginia: although specific player statistics are not provided here, it can be inferred that several players contributed significantly given that twenty-one field goals were made overall including seven successful three-point shots.
Looking ahead for fans of West Virginia basketball: The next challenge awaits as they host Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on January 20th at approximately noon local time (3:00 PM Eastern Time). This upcoming game will be available for viewing on ESPN+, providing another opportunity for supporters to rally behind their team as they continue through this season’s campaign.