- Brutal opening stretch to this game, missing shots and turning the ball over. Luckily, thing settled down as Truck Bryant hits a pair of threes. This, of course, gives him the impulse to make a couple of awful mistakes on his next two trips and gets pulled. Mitchell sees his first action seven minutes into the game.
- Midway through the first half, it's ugly. Rutgers has a 15-11 advantage, and it looks as much like a wrestling match as a basketball game. If wrestling matches had a whole lot of missed shots and turnovers.
- Jonnie West gets some minutes and misses a rebound Joe Mazzulla would've definitely gotten. I know there are some out there in the "get West more minutes" camp. I'm not among them. The things he can't do outweigh the things he can. He also missed his first two threes.
- Huggins is rolling with a very strange small ball lineup right now. Truck Bryant, Jonnie West, Dalton Pepper, Cam Thoroughman, and Kevin Jones. I like mixing it up, but if West isn't hitting the outside shot they're trying so hard to set up, this lineup's not going anywhere.
- John Flowers gets a transition dunk to score the first Mountaineer point in what feels like forever. Luckily Rutgers isn't scoring either. Truck Bryant follows it up with a transition layup and we're tied at the pathetic total of 17. If playing quick will benefit the 'Eers, by all means do it.
- Bryant hits his third three of the half, and it's 20-19 'Eers. Most importantly, it means at least one of these teams will go into the half with 20 points, something that didn't seem possible earlier. Nobody's getting 30 though. This has been a sloppy shooting affair, with both teams hovering around 30%.
- At the half, it's 25-22. The last possession featured, as most of them did, a missed shot. Truck forced one a little too early, but the 'Eers go in up three at the half. It's been an ugly game, and this first team to string together three or four made baskets in a row will run away with this one.
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West Virginia Vs. Rutgers: Despite Poor Shooting, Mountaineers Lead 25-22 At Half
By
Aaron Hawley