SPRINGFIELD, MASS — The West Virginia Mountaineers were down 44-29 at halftime, but made a huge comeback after falling behind by 18 points down to tie it up late in the 2nd half. However, the UMASS Minutemen refused to lose and hung on to beat the Mountaineers 87-79 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
The Mountaineers got point guard Kerr Kriisa back for the first time this season. He was out for 9 games for receiving inappropriate benefits while at Arizona, and he was absolutely sensational, leading West Virginia with 20 points and 6 assists in his debut with the team. Quinn Slazinski had 20 points and 3 rebounds, and newcomer Noah Farrakhan added 15 points and 4 assists in his first game this season. RaeQuan Battle, who was finally eligible, was unable to play due to the flu.
Kriiiisa 👀 @KerrKriisa
📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/TJ4p9xjapj
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) December 17, 2023
With the loss, the Mountaineers moved to 4-6 on the season and will play Radford, Toledo, Ohio State and #4 ranked Houston before starting their Big 12 Conference schedule on January 9th against Kansas State.
West Virginia is back in action at home against Radford on Wednesday, December 20 at 7:00PM.
