In the end, it was Peyton Siva in the lane, with John Flowers draped all over him, kissing it high off of the glass for the win.
The short handed Mountaineers played a mere seven players, yet led by eleven at halftime and still had a chance to win it down to the game's final buzzer. The 'Eers weathered a long second half scoring drought which they eventually never recovered from. Despite the heartbreaking last second defeat, in some ways there are a lot of things to feel good about. Joe Mazzulla proved he could score, dropping eighteen all in the first half. Dalton Pepper played 20 good minutes getting ten points and generally playing with hustle. It should be noted that at the buzzer if was Pepper who had the heave and only barely missed.
The decision to stick strictly to jump-shots in the second half killed the Mountaineers, and this game will be filed in the "ones that got away" column. Hopefully this is a sign of a team finally gelling. If not, Cincinnati will be a tough road win, and by the time the team returns home, they'll have dropped to .500. Get a win in Hugs old stomping grounds, and things are still well in Mountaineer Nation.