WVU Basketball: Mountaineers Get Back in Win Column By Defeating USF, 56-46

After a heartbreaking loss to rival Marshall on the 19th, Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers left the sting of the Thundering Herd upset behind them in extending their win streak to four in Big East play this year.

Unlike in the Marshall game this week, the Mountaineers came better prepared in this game as West Virginia never relinquished the lead after grabbing it midway through the first half.

For South Florida, the offense started as well as unfortunately ended with star forward Augustus Gilchrist, who totaled 20 points for the game as well as 10 rebounds for the game.

Gilchrist accounted for nearly half of the team’s total made field goals in the game with six as South Florida combined for 16-51, also only making one three point shot in 13 attempts.

Casey Mitchell, who fell silent offensively in the last game, was able to fall back into his groove in recording a double-double of his own for WVU, collecting 13 points, in addition to 14 rebounds this afternoon.

Also for the Mountaineers, John Flowers kept his hot streak going in the past few games as he filled the stat book for West Virginia. He played the entire 40 minutes today, while keeping the team on track in the imperative Big East race.

Bob Huggins will need to move on from this win today as the Mountaineers will travel to the Louisville Cardinals. This will mark their first meeting in the program’s new KFC Yum! Center arena in downtown Louisville, replacing Freedom Hall this past season.

With that being said, let’s get to the stats of how West Virginia was able to get another win in conference play against the Bulls.

Players of the Game

South Florida: Augustus Gilchrist – 20 Points, 10 Rebounds, Block

West Virginia: John Flowers – 13 Points, Seven Rebounds, Two Assists, Three Steals, Three Blocks

Shooting:

South Florida: 31.4 Percent from the Field (Leader: Augustus Gilchrist - 50 Percent)

West Virginia: 33.3 Percent from the Field (Leader: Kevin Jones – 40 Percent)

Foul Shots

South Florida: 13-18 Free Throws for 72.2 Percent (Leader: Augustus Gilchrist – 8-11 FTs)

West Virginia: 10-16 Free Throws for 62.5 Percent (Leader: Joe Mazzulla – 3-4 FTs)

Rebounding

South Florida: 38 Rebounds, 11 Offensive Rebounds (Leader: Ron Anderson – 15 Total)

West Virginia: 38 Rebounds, 17 Offensive Rebounds (Leader: Casey Mitchell – 21 Total)

Turnovers

South Florida: 16 Turnovers (Leader: Augustus Gilchrist with Six)

West Virginia: 6 Turnovers ( Leader: Deniz Kilicli with Two)