Can the Mountaineers Rebound After Narrow Defeat at WVU Coliseum?
The West Virginia Mountaineers faced a challenging contest against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, culminating in a score of 81-70. The Mountaineers now stand with an unaltered rank, while their home performance showcased their resilience despite the loss. The Red Raiders, also unranked prior to this game, secured a victory that was hard-fought on both sides.
The West Virginia Mountaineers opened strong in the first half with 45 points but couldn't maintain their momentum, adding only 25 points in the second half. Despite shooting an impressive 51 percent from the field and outperforming Texas Tech's two-point percentage by hitting 59 percent of their attempts inside the arc, turnovers proved costly for them. The team committed a total of 14 turnovers which translated into 16 points for Texas Tech.
On defense, West Virginia managed to block two shots and made one steal but struggled to contain Texas Tech's offensive efforts which were highlighted by eight steals and an assist-to-turnover ratio of three. The Red Raiders capitalized on these opportunities with precision from beyond the arc, sinking thirteen three-pointers at a rate of 42 percent.
West Virginia's scoring was bolstered by contributions across the board as they dished out fifteen assists and fought hard under the rim to secure twenty-eight rebounds—twenty-three defensive and five offensive. However, they were outrebounded slightly by Texas Tech who grabbed thirty boards throughout the game.
In terms of free throws, West Virginia shot at a decent clip making eleven out of seventeen attempts which rounded up to about sixty-five percent accuracy from the line. Points in paint were nearly equal between both teams with West Virginia edging it slightly at twenty-eight compared to Texas Tech's twenty-six.
Despite trailing behind in fast break points four to five and second-chance points seven to nine against Texas Tech’s respective tallies in those categories; it was clear that every possession mattered greatly for both teams throughout this intense conference game witnessed by an attendance crowd numbering eleven thousand three hundred thirteen fans at WVU Coliseum.
Looking ahead after this tough encounter on home soil; fans can mark their calendars for when The Mountaineers will take on TCU Horned Frogs next time around. This upcoming match is scheduled for March sixth year two thousand twenty-four starting sharp at seven o'clock PM Eastern Time right here within Morgantown’s own WVU Coliseum confines – ensuring no fan misses any action as it will be broadcast live over ESPN+ internet network channels.