(Cover Photo Courtesy of West Virginia Athletics)
Morgantown, West Virginia – The West Virginia Mountaineers (8-1) beat the #15 ranked Connecticut Huskies (8-2) 56-53 in a close, back-and-forth, well-played game inside the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia was carried offensively by senior guards Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil. Sherman finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and McNeil had 13 points and 3 rebounds. Gabe Osabuohien added 6 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Pauly Paulicap, who had 4 points and 3 rebounds, provided outstanding defensive energy throughout the game.
The chase down by @pauly33_!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/L6MvyNU3V8
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) December 9, 2021
The Mountaineers are back in action at home on Sunday, December 12th at 4:00PM against the Kent State Golden Flashes (4-3) of the Mid-American Conference.
Observations:
West Virginia must find a third scorer. Jalen Bridges was expected to be the team’s third option, but he often disappears offensively for large portions of games.
Pauly Paulicap has really grown as a player since arriving in Morgantown. He has put in the work and it really shows, and he is now the Mountaineers’ most important interior defensive player.
Taz Sherman continues to shine offensively. He is well on his way to earning All Big 12 First Team honors this season.
West Virginia shot only 8-21 (38.1%) from the foul line.
Outstanding crowd inside the WVU Coliseum on a Wednesday night! The crowd definitely played a huge part in this game.
