The Mountaineers recent struggles continued early in today's road contest with the Providence Friars, which has the Friars leading 42-36 at halftime. Providence put WVU at arm's length early with a mid-half 12-4 run. The Mountaineers largest deficit was 15, but they managed to battle back somewhat before the halftime buzzer, going on a 12-6 run to cut the margin to 6.
Providence has sliced up the Mountaineer defense from all angles, shooting a hot 63% for the half. The Friars connected on 14 of the game's first 16 shots. They found easy paths to the basket, and they shot 5 for 8 from three point land, including their first four in a row.
The Mountaineers have seen Deniz Kilicli lead the way in the first half with 11 points and a pair of rebounds. The big Turk has managed to take advantage of the Friars' focus on Kevin Jones. Jones has struggled with double teams early, only tallying 7 points and 3 rebounds. Truck Bryant hit his first shot of the game, a three pointer, but missed his subsequent six shots before hitting a three just before the half, and has 8 points for the half.
The Friars are led by guards Bryce Cotton and Gerard Coleman who had 12 and 11 points respectively.