Pittsnogle Log

Mountaineer's Lose Heartbreaker

2006-03-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

The two NCAA Tournament combatants traded blows and they traded shots, but in the end, it was Texas which managed to one-up the Mountaineers, pulling out a thrilling 74-71 victory in the NCAA’s Atlanta Regional semifinals Thursday night.

West Virginia fought back after first half struggle to make a game of it in the second half. Kevin Pittsnogle’s three-pointer with five seconds left tied the contest at 71 and seemed to send it to overtime. But the No. 2 seed Longhorns (30-6) had time enough for one last shot, and that final one proved to be a dagger deep into the Mountaineers’ hearts. UT pushed the ball up court after Pittsnogle’s game-tyer, and senior guard Kenton Paulino found himself with the ball, 22 feet from the basket and with time quickly running out. He double clutched and put the shot up just ahead of the buzzer. Officials would later check to make sure that the ball had left his hands before the clock struck :00, but it clearly had, and when it rippled the net, Texas was moving on and West Virginia was going home.

It was the end of an incredible ride for WVU’s five seniors – J.D. Collins, Patrick Beilein, Jo Herber, Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle. They took the Mountaineers to incredible heights, and proved to be an awfully tough out in the NCAA Tourney. Last season it was an overtime loss to Louisville in the Elite Eight, and this year it took an unbelievable shot by Paulino.

WVU found itself in a hole early in the game. P.J. Tucker got Texas on the board at the outset, taking a feed inside from LaMarcus Aldridge for an easy two. Kevin Pittsnogle tried to respond, but his three from the corner rattled out. That would be the theme for WVU early, as three straight three-point attempts by the Mountaineers in as many trips failed to find the mark, as did a Mike Gansey lay-up try on West Virginia’s fourth possession. Pittsnogle eventually got West Virginia on the board with a trey from the opposite corner 3:20 into the game, but the Longhorns were in front 6-3 at that point.

The UT lead wouldn’t last much longer. A deep three by Gansey and then another by Pittsnogle off a spinning drive and kick from Jo Herber left WVU in front, 9-6, when the weak horn for the first media timeout sounded. (The electronic horn, as well as the main overhead scoreboard in the Georgia Dome, malfunctioned in the first game Thursday night, when LSU defeated Duke. There were a number of other scoreboards in the huge arena still working, but game officials were forced to use an air horn instead of the electronic one, leaving audio impression that the game was an extremely well attended intramural affair.)

The Mountaineers wouldn’t score for the next several minutes, though, and after the Longhorns connected twice from the inside, they held a 10-9 advantage at the next media timeout, which came at the 11:56 mark. WVU’s scoreless drought would end at 10:50 when a Patrick Beilein triple left West Virginia on top 12-11.

That inside-vs.-outside contest continued throughout much of the rest of the half. For the first 15 minutes of the game, the Mountaineers didn’t score a bucket from inside the three-point arc, and Texas didn’t score one from beyond 15 feet. But UT’s accuracy rate was much better than West Virginia’s, and the Longhorns were left with a 23-15 lead when the first half clock struck 6:07.

WVU’s first points from anywhere but three-point range came when Herber made a couple of free throws with 4:46 left in the half, and when Gansey converted two more foul shots 19 seconds later, West Virginia was down only four, 26-22. But Texas responded with two quick buckets of its own to push its advantage back to eight, and it would continue to expand that margin, taking a 12-point lead, 39-27, into the lockerroom, despite a bucket from J.D. Collins right before the halftime horn. Collins’ buzzerbeater (err, hornbeater) would be the Mountaineers only two-point field goal of the first half.

Pat Beilein was the only WVU player who had any touch inside the spacious Dome, but that did seem fair since the coach’s son was celebrating his 23rd birthday. He had nine points, as he made three of four shots, all from three-point range. The rest of the Mountaineers combined to make just five of 20 field goal attempts and four of 14 three-point tries.

The first half numbers for West Virginia weren’t any better in the other statistical categories. Not only was Texas dominating the Mountaineers on the boards (18-7), but UT, which committed 24 turnovers compared to just 11 for WVU in the earlier meeting this season, was even in the turnover department, 7-7. West Virginia also had no solution for Longhorn center LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 16 first half points, making all eight of his field goal attempts.

The Mountaineers didn’t stop their three-point snipping at the start of the second half. The thing they did do differently was they started making them. First Pittsnogle and then Herber, and just for good measure, Collins scored on a lay-up after a Gansey steal, all in the first minute to pull WVU within four, 39-35.

West Virginia kept creeping closer, getting to within three at a couple junctures, and then within two, 44-42, after Herber three with 14 minutes remaining. Texas pushed its lead back out to 53-47, but then a Beilein lay-up and a conventional three-point play from Gansey had the Mountaineers down by just one, 53-52, with 10:26 left.

The two clubs battle back and forth. UT got a single free throw from Aldridge and then a baseline jumper from Mike Williams, but Beilein answered with another three. The trey put Patrick over the 1,000-point mark for his career, and a short time later when Pittsnogle drained yet another triple, the game was tied 58-58 with 7:53 showing. The Mountaineers were heating up, and a Gansey kept the fire burning, knocking down a three with 7:15 on the clock to give WVU its first lead, 61-58, since a 9-8 advantage early in the first half.

Texas wasn’t going away either, though, and a couple P.J. Tucker free throws and then an Aldridge fadeaway gave UT the lead back at 63-61 as the clock ticked inside of five minutes. Frank Young had a chance to tie the game, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Tucker gave the Longhorns a four-point lead with a spinning drive at the 4:03 mark.

Herber brought West Virginia two points closer at 65-63, hitting a 10-footer in the lane with 3:18 showing, but Kenton Paulino answered for Texas. Gansey’s drive got WVU within two again, 67-65, and the Mountaineers had a chance to take the lead, but Beilein’s three-point attempt was off the mark. Aldridge, who apparently fouled on his elbow by Pittsnogle’s nose, made a subsequent single free throw, and with 1:30 remaining, the Texas lead was three, 68-65. The UT advantage went to five when A.J. Abrams connected on a pair of foul shots, but when Gansey nailed a deep three with 14.7 left, the Mountaineers trailed by just two, 70-68.

Beilein fouled Aldridge on the ensuing inbounds pass. It was Patrick’s fifth of the game, and the senior guard left to a round of applause by the Mountaineer faithful who had made the trip to Atlanta. In the double bounce situation, Aldridge missed the first free throw but made the second. With 13.9 showing, the UT lead was now three, 71-68. After a Texas timeout, West Virginia moved the ball quickly up court. Herber drove and kicked to Pittsnogle at the top of the key, who drained the game-tying three as the clock struck 5.0 seconds. While the crowd still gasped, the Longhorns hustled up court, and Paulino found himself with the ball on the left wing with under two seconds. The senior rose up from 20 feet and bury a game-winning shot, and in the process, West Virginia’s season.

How Sweet It Is

2006-03-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

It may have lacked some of the drama and last second excitement of last year’s first two NCAA victories, but the end result was another Mountaineer trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, and this year it came without quite as many heart palpitations and grey hairs for the West Virginia faithful, though things did get a little dicey for a few minutes on Sunday.

But in the end, WVU earned its second straight journey to the Sweet 16 thanks to a 67-54 victory over Northwestern State Sunday afternoon at The Palace in Auburn Hills (Mich.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 14th-seeded Demons (26-8) had played Cinderella in the first round with a 66-63 victory over No. 3 Iowa. But against the senior-laden, tournament-tested Mountaineers, a No. 6 seed who now hold a 22-10 record, the glass slipper wasn’t going to fit this time.

West Virginia is headed to the Sweet 16 for just the fourth time in school history. Jerry West and the Mountaineers went all the way to the national championship game in 1959, and in 1998, Gale Catlett’s squad upset Cincinnati in the second round in Boise en route to the Sweet 16. And of course, John Beilein’s club advanced all the way to the Elite Eight last year before bowing out.

The Mountaineers didn’t need a Jerrod West buzzerbeater or double overtime heroics against Wake Forest to win in the second round this time, as West Virginia simply took care of business against the Demons.

Northwestern State started out well enough, hitting a few early shots, and its aggressive defensive pressure forced WVU into a couple turnovers in the opening minutes, as the Demons jumped out to a 6-2 lead.

But just like they did on Friday in the first round, the Mountaineers settled down after the first few minutes. The only difference was that while West Virginia was using outside jumpers against Southern Illinois, on Sunday against NSU, it was the drive which got WVU early points. J.D. Collins hit the first three for the Mountaineers at the 15:10 mark, giving them a 10-6 advantage. Another trey by Patrick Beilein on the next trip down court and just 14 seconds after West Virginia’s sixth man came off the bench, made the score 13-7. The WVU’s bench produced a second straight bucket, this a lay-up by Rob Summers, to push the Mountaineers’ margin to eight, 15-7. The lead would grow as large as 12 by the 10-minute mark and then to 15 by 14:41 after a quick five-point flurry from Kevin Pittsnogle. The senior center, who had just one point up until then, drained a three, and then running the court, he scored on a lay-up after a steal by Mike Gansey. The score was 30-15, and NSU coach Mike McConathy took his team’s first time out.

Again, much like Friday’s win over the Salukis, the Mountaineers were getting contributions from throughout the rotation. Not only did Summers, who averaged only 0.5 points a game coming into the NCAA Tournament, score his second bucket in as many Big Dance outings, but Alex Ruoff also gave WVU quality minutes. And when Jo Herber went to the bench with a second foul midway through the first half, West Virginia coach John Beilein used his two point guards – Collins and Darris Nichols – together at the same time, something Beilein had done only occasionally in the regular season. Nichols in particular responded well, handling the Demons’ in-your-face defense without too much trouble and also playing well on his own defensive end, taking two charges. In addition, the sophomore scored on nice drive, and when he banked in a 50-foot three-pointer from a beyond midcourt at the halftime buzzer, WVU was comfortably in control, 41-19, as it headed to the lockerroom. The 22-point advantage was the second largest halftime lead the Mountaineers had enjoyed all season, topped only by a 23-point margin (48-25) vs. Washington & Jefferson back on Dec. 3. West Virginia went on to a 50-point rout (83-33) of the Division III Prexies at the Coliseum that day.

Though WVU turned the ball over eight times in the first half, its offense functioned well when it maintained control of the ball. West Virginia made 14 of 26 first half shots (53.8 percent), including six of 14 from three-point range. The 41-point output was just the second time in the last 20 games that WVU had surpassed the 40-point barrier in the first half, as the only other time West Virginia had eclipsed that mark since Jan. 1 was when it took a 48-43 lead into the half against Marquette on Jan. 14. But it was the Mountaineer defense as much as their offense which was responsible for the halftime bulge. WVU forced Northwestern State into 17 first half turnovers, as the Mountaineers had nine steals and outscored NSU 19-4 in points off turnovers.

Add it all up and it led to a 41-19 halftime lead, and West Virginia cultivated that in the early moments of the second half. After Herber knocked down a couple free throws 2:51 into the period, WVU’s lead was 48-23.

But Northwestern State wasn’t about to go away without a fight. After all, the Demons had rallied for victory in seven games this season when it trailed by double figures. Obviously the most dramatic of those was against Iowa, when NSU erased a 17-point second half deficit.

Northwestern went on 21-5 run over an 11-minute span to draw within 53-44. But a couple of Pittsnogle free throws stemmed the tide for the time being. NSU didn’t fold, though. With Collins, Herber and Pittsnogle all on the bench with four fouls, and Gansey beside them suffering from cramps, the Demons pulled to within 57-49 with four minutes left. But that would be as close as Northwestern would get before the Mountaineers finally hit some shots to put the game away.

Pittsnogle finished with 14 points, while Frank Young added 10 for WVU. Clifton Lee had 11 for Northwestern State.

WVU (22-10) to face Texas on Thursday in Atlanta. Duke and LSU will meet in the other regional semifinal from the Georgia Dome. Game times will be announced later this week.

Pittsnogle And The Mountaineers Dump The Salukis

2006-03-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineer basketball team lived to play another day, rolling past Southern Illinois Friday afternoon at The Palace at Auburn Hills, 64-46.

West Virginia (21-10) got contributions from people throughout the rotation, as it moved on to Sunday’s second round of the NCAA Tourney. The Mountaineers will meet Northwestern (26-7) in the second round. The No. 14 seed Demons stunned No. 3 Iowa in the first game Friday, 64-63. Tipoff on Sunday from The Palace at Auburn Hills is scheduled for 2:40 p.m.

SIU hit three quick shots to start Friday’s game, and West Virginia turned the ball over on two of its first three trips down the court, as the Salukis jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead. But then a three-pointer by Frank Young and a put-back by Kevin Pittsnogle gave WVU its first lead of the game, 7-6, with just over four minutes off the clock.

The Mountaineers took control from there. Pittsnogle popped out for a trey a minute later, which became part of a 13-2 run after a couple Jo Herber free throws and a Patrick Beilein three. Southern coach Chris Lowery took a timeout to slow the run at the 13:35 mark with the Mountaineers holding onto a 15-8 advantage.

The timeout slowed West Virginia’s momentum, and SIU pulled back to within three, 20-17, after a Jamaal Tatum three-pointer with 8:40 left in the opening half. But then Alex Ruoff, who had scored just three points since Dec. 10, nailed a trey and a short while later collected an offensive rebound and was quickly fouled, sending him to the line for a one-and-one. The freshman forward from Florida, who hadn’t attempted a free throw all season, missed the front end, but Young tracked down the long carom and dished it out to J.D. Collins, who nailed a three. West Virginia’s run would quickly spurt out to 10-0, as another WVU role player, Rob Summers, scored a lay-up off a feed from Collins, and then Young drilled another trey, leaving the Mountaineers on top by 14, 31-17, as the clock hit 5:00. The run would eventually move to 13-0 when Pittsnogle got a friendly bounce on a three-pointer before the Salukis broke through with their first bucket in almost five minutes, scoring inside to narrow the West Virginia advantage to 34-19.

SIU scored five more points before Beilein drove in for a lay-up to give WVU a 36-24 lead at the end of the first half. The Mountaineers offensive production in the opening 20 minutes was a good sign against a Southern Illinois defense which was fourth in the nation in points allowed, giving up only 56.2 a game prior to the NCAA Tournament. SIU had allowed more than 36 points in the first half just twice all season, and the Salukis had gone on to lose both times – 42 at Missouri State on Jan. 19 in a 71-63 Southern loss and 37 at Alaska-Anchorage on Nov. 25 in a 72-64 defeat in the Great Alaska Shootout. In fact, Southern Illinois, which came to The Palace at Auburn Hills with a 22-10 record, was just 2-5 when it had given up 30 or more first half points, and it was 2-9 on the season when it had given up 60 or more points for the entire game.

Though the Saluki defense did force the Mountaineers’ normally solid ballhandlers into eight first half turnovers – WVU averaged just 8.5 turnovers for an entire game coming into the NCAAs – West Virginia did shoot the ball fairly well, hitting 10 of 20 shots from the floor and seven of 15 from three-point range (46.7 percent). Though Mike Gansey, who was still suffering the effects of a strained stomach muscle suffered at last week’s Big East Tournament, was scoreless in the first 20 minutes, his teammates picked up the slack. Pittsnogle led the way with 10 points, as eight different Mountaineers scored in the first half.

Southern Illinois shot a respectable 47.8 percent from the field in the opening half (11 of 23), but it turned the ball over nine times, and the normally weak rebounding Mountaineers (one of the worst in Division I with a -9.7 rebounding margin per game) managed a 15-8 advantage on the boards.

The two teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the second half. SIU never got closer than 10, and WVU never got ahead by more than 14. Leading 45-32 at the under 12-minute media timeout, a weak pass by Pittsnogle was picked off by Tatum, who was fouled in the scramble by Collins, his fourth of the game. Tatum scored on a lay-up a short time later, but West Virginia kept its cool and made shots. Gansey finally got into the scoring column, driving in for a lay-up and then tipping in an offensive rebound. That started a 12-0 WVU run, that stemmed the SIU tide and left the Mountaineers on top 59-37 as the clock ticked inside of five minutes.

From there, West Virginia cruised to the victory, winning in the opening round of the Big Dance for the second straight season. It’s only the second time in school history that WVU has managed wins in the NCAA Tourney in back-to-back season, as the only other time was 1959 and 1960.

The 18-point margin of victory is the second largest for the Mountaineers in their 36 NCAA Tournament games. Only WVU’s 82-52 win over Temple in the first round of the 1998 was more. The 46 points scored by SIU was also the lowest ever allowed by West Virginia in the NCAAs.

Pittsnogle wound up with a game-high 18 points against the Salukis. Gansey bounced back from a scoreless first half with 10 in the second. Matt Shaw and Jamaal Tatum were the only two SIU players who finished in double figures, as each had 12 points.

The Mountaineers also outrebounded Southern Illinois, 31-26. It was only the fourth game all year that WVU has outrebounded its opponent.

Mountaineers Are A 6 Seed

2006-03-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle and the Mountaineers were knocked
out of the big east tournament by pitt.

The Mountaineers are a 6 seed in the ncaa tournament
they will be playing the No. 11 seed Salukis of Southern Illinois.

It is the second straight season WVU has earned an NCAA bid. The Mountaineers won three games in the tourney last year before falling to Louisville in overtime in the Elite Eight round.

The game will be on Friday in Auburn Hills, Mich

Big East Tournament Starts This Week

2006-03-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle and the team will be getting for they game on thursday
they will play the winner of the louisville-pitt game at 9 pm thursday.

Go WVU

WVU Falls In Regular Season Finale At Cincinnati

2006-03-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

In a game that mattered much more to Cincinnati’s tournament life than West Virginia, the Bearcats pulled out a 78-75 victory Saturday in the regular season finale for both clubs at UC’s Fifth Third Arena.

WVU (20-9/11-5) entered the game ranked 16th in the country and locked into the No. 3 seed in terms of the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. That third seed already had secured the Mountaineers a bye through the first round, meaning they would not play until Thursday night at 9 p.m. (ESPN) at Madison Square Garden. They will be awaiting the winner of the 6/11 game, which will be played Wednesday night at 9 o’clock. West Virginia’s NCAA Tournament bid is also secure, but the same could not be said for the Bearcats entering Saturday’s clash. But after Cincy’s three-point victory over WVU, UC appears fairly secure in making the NCAA field when the brackets for the Big Dance are announced on Sunday, March 12. Cincinnati (19-11 overall and 8-8 in the Big East Conference) will finish eighth in the league, unless Syracuse (19-10/7-8) upsets Villanova (23-3/13-2) in the regular season finale for those two on Sunday. In that case, the Orange would be eighth and UC ninth. Regardless of what order, Cincinnati and Syracuse will meet in the first round of the Big East Tourney on Wednesday, playing the opening game at noon pitting No. 8 vs. No. 9.

Right from the outset, Cincinnati played like a team that had a lot at stake Saturday. The ‘Cats made their first three shots from the floor, including a couple of three-pointers, to jump out to an 8-2 lead. Though WVU fought its way back and went in front 13-12, UC again got hot in the closing moments of the first half and took a 37-31 lead into the lockerroom at the game’s midway point.

The Bearcats came out of the half and continued their drive, extending their advantage to 48-35, before West Virginia got its own offense in gear. Kevin Pittsnogle, who had 11 first half points and 23 for the game, was the only consistent scoring threat WVU had the first 25 minutes, but then Mike Gansey jumped into the mix. He scored 16 of his 20 points in the final 15 minutes, leading a Mountaineer charge that brought them within three at a couple different junctures down the stretch. But West Virginia’s final couple attempts to tie were unsuccessful, and UC held on for the 78-73 victory.

Besides the 43 combined points WVU got from Pittsnogle and Gansey, Frank Young also contributed 13 points. Cincinnati got a very balanced scoring effort, as Eric Hicks led the way with 18 points, Jihad Muhammad add 17, while Devan Downey and James White finished with 16 and 15 respectively. Downey also had 10 assists, while turning it over just once. As a team, UC turned the ball over only seven times, 11 less than in its 66-57 loss at West Virginia a month ago.

The Mountaineers turned the ball over just seven times themselves, while also hitting 12 of 28 three-point attempts. But WVU couldn’t get the key defensive stop when it needed it.

Pittsnogle Finalist For Bayer Class Award

2006-03-05T02:52:00.000-08:00

West Virginia center Kevin Pittsnogle is one of 10 male and female finalists for the 2005-06 Bayer Advantage® Senior CLASS Award. These finalists will be on the official ballot for the nation's premier tribute to college seniors.

The award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually to the nation's senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball.

Pittsnogle's 26 lead West Va. past Pitt

2006-02-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

West Virginia had many goals heading into its home finale Monday night against Pitt – gain revenge on the Panthers for a 57-53 victory in Pittsburgh earlier this month, continued to stock its resume for the NCAA Tournament, clink at least third place in the Big East Conference final standings, and last but not least, send the team’s five seniors out on a high note in the last game of their illustrious careers in the Coliseum.

Mark this one “mission accomplished.”

The Mountaineers used the emotions of senior night to jump out to a 13-2 start, and while the No. 8 Panthers (21-5/10-5) fought their way back and made WVU battle to the end, when the final horn sounded, West Virginia was holding a 67-62 advantage. That sent many in the crowd of 14,805 (the ninth largest in Coliseum history) flooding onto the court to celebrate with seniors J.D. Collins, Patrick Beilein, Jo Herber, Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle.

It certainly was the night for the five seniors. For the first time ever, all five started together – usually junior Frank Young starts and Beilein comes off the bench. And after hearing his German national anthem sung in the pregame, Herber came out like a man possessed. With his sister, mother and his mother’s boyfriend in attendance, having made the trip in from Darmstadt, Germany, Jo drilled three three-pointers in the first 2:43 to help the Mountaineers jump out to a 13-2 lead. Herber added another triple about five minutes later, and he finished the game with 16 points.

When Herber slowed down, Pittsnogle heated up. Held scoreless in the loss at Pitt on Feb. 9, Kevin attacked the Panthers with a vengeance, scoring 26 points, as he hit five of 12 three-point attempts, as well as four of nine two-pointers. Gansey added eight points, as well as a team-high seven rebounds. Collins chipped in seven, while Beilein contributed six, as the WVU seniors contributed all but four of the Mountaineers’ 67 points.

Pitt’s leading scorer, center Aaron Gray, was limited to seven points, but the Panthers got 12 points from both Ronald Ramon and Sam Young and 10 from Levance Fields and Carl Krauser to keep West Virginia from pulling away. Though Pitt did not lead and the only tie was at 0-0, it never allowed WVU to lead by more than seven points in the final 15 minutes. But every time the Panthers would close to within a bucket, one of the Mountaineers’ five seniors would make a play to provide West Virginia a little breathing room. A lay-up by Herber and then a pair of foul shots by both Pittsnogle and Herber, all in the last 30 seconds, held off Pitt’s final charge.

WVU, which is currently ranked No. 16 and holds a 20-8 overall record and an 11-4 league mark, will play its final regular season game at Cincinnati Saturday at noon before moving on to the Big East Tourney. West Virginia has clinched no worse than a third-place seed. It could move up to No. 2, but only if Villanova (22-3/12-2) loses its final two games (home against St. John’s Wednesday and at Syracuse Sunday) while WVU wins at Cincy on Saturday.

If West Virginia winds up third, as expected, it will earn a bye in the first round for the first time since it joined the Big East 11 seasons ago. The No. 3 seed will play the last quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 9, tipping off at 9 p.m. against the No. 6/11 winner. It’s very possible Pitt could find itself as the No. 6 seed, setting up a potential rematch in Madison Square Garden.

Mountaineers Hold Off Louisville

2006-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 68-64 victory over Louisville Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.

But the win over the Cardinals (17-10/5-9) certainly wasn’t easy, as West Virginia had to fight off a 25-point effort from U of L guard Taquan Dean. Kevin Pittsnogle countered with 21 for WVU. Mike Gansey and J.D. Collins added 17 and 13 points respectively for the Mountaineers. It was Collins whose two free throws with four seconds left which finally sealed the win for West Virginia (19-8/10-4).

The Mountaineers will play their final home game of the regular season on Monday, when they host the Pitt Panthers. Obviously the BasketBrawl will be the last home game for WVU seniors Jo Herber, Patrick Beilein, Kevin Pittsnogle, J.D. Collins and Mike Gansey. It will also have major implications in terms of West Virginia’s Big East seeding. Pitt entered the weekend tied with WVU for third place in the Big East, as both sported 9-4 records. The Panthers defeated West Virginia in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago, but if the Mountaineers can return the favor Monday night at the Coliseum, WVU will lock up at least third place in the Big East – and thus a first-round bye in the league tournament – because then West Virginia will have the tie-breaker in its favor.

A loss to Louisville on Saturday would have been devastating in the Mountaineers’ aim for a top four Big East finish, which would be WVU’s highest ever in its 11 years in the league. Though West Virginia still wasn’t hitting from the outside (eight of 31 from three-point range) Saturday, it started to find room inside the Cardinal zone midway through the first half and opened up a 21-12 lead. U of L, on the strength of four straight three-point field goals of its own in the final four minutes, rallied to tie the game at 31-31 at the half.

Louisville moved out to a 37-33 lead in the opening minutes of the second half, but a Collins three-pointer at the 13:30 mark gave WVU a 44-42 lead, and while it would be close the rest of the way, West Virginia would never trail again.

The Mountaineer may not have been accurate, but they were efficient, committing just seven turnovers for the game and only two in the second half.

Dean only got minimal help on the Cardinals’ end. Juan Palacios did finish with a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds), but no other Card had more than seven.

WVU Drops Third Straight, Falls At Syracuse

2006-02-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers lost their third straight game and for the fourth time in their last five outings, falling 60-58 at Syracuse Monday night.

West Virginia (18-8/9-4) got out to another slow start, not getting on the scoreboard until more than five minutes was gone off the Carrier Dome clock. Fortunately for WVU, Syracuse wasn’t lighting it up either, and the Orange lead was just 4-0 before Kevin Pittsnogle finally broke the ice with a lay-up.

Syracuse (19-8/7-6) would eventually establish a strong inside presence, as it pushed out to a 23-14 lead before Patrick Beilein rallied the Mountaineers, who came into the game sporting a No. 15 rating. The senior guard hit five three-pointers in the first half, the last of which gave WVU a 30-29 lead at the half.

Beilein cooled off in the second half, hitting just one more three the rest of the way. But Pittsnogle picked up the pace, scoring 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. But it wasn’t enough for West Virginia, which could not slow down Syracuse’s inside strength, led by center Terrence Roberts, who hit eight of his nine field goal attempts en route to 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

There were five lead changes and one tie in the second half. A three-pointer by Pittsnogle with 3:57 left knotted the game at 58-58, but WVU would not score again the rest of the way. A Roberts bucket in the paint with 2:25 remaining gave Syracuse a 60-58 lead. West Virginia had opportunities, but it couldn’t convert. The last good chance for the Mountaineers came with under 10 seconds left, when Pittsnogle turned from the foul line and tried to feed Jo Herber down low. Herber was open, but Pittsnogle’s bounce pass skipped by his teammate, and with it went WVU final real hope of at least tying the game.

Road weary West Virginia, which has played four of its last five away from the Coliseum will now get a few days of rest before its next game, which comes Saturday when it hosts Louisville. Two of WVU’s final three regular season games will come at home, as it will entertain Louisville Saturday and Pitt on Monday before ending the regular season at Cincinnati on Saturday, March 4.

No. 1 Huskies Outlast Mountaineers

2006-02-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

West Virginia made shots, but Connecticut made more, and as a result, the No. 1-ranked Huskies left the WVU Coliseum with an 81-75 victory Saturday afternoon.

A sellout crowd of 14,684, the ninth largest in Coliseum history, watched as two of the top three teams in the Big East Conference battled back and forth, but the size and inside strength of the Huskies were just too much for the Mountaineers to counter with their perimeter shooting. UConn outrebounded WVU by 20 (39-19) and outscored West Virginia by 18 in the paint (46-28) and by 18 in second chance points (20-2). The Mountaineers never let Connecticut run away and hide, as UConn’s largest lead was eight. And while WVU kept battling, it could never get that big shot to fall or the defensive stop it needed down the stretch. West Virginia had the UConn lead down to one or two a number of times in the last 10 minutes of the game, but each time it was the Huskies that made the big play to give them a little breathing room, and eventually the victory.

Connecticut (23-2/10-2) now moves back into a tie with Villanova for the top spot in the Big East Conference, while WVU (18-7/9-3) falls back into a tie for third with Pitt. UConn and ‘Nova still have a regular season game left against each other, as do the Panthers and Mountaineers.

The Huskies had four players in double figures Saturday, led by Josh Boone, who had 18 points. Hilton Armstrong added 15, and Rudy Gay checked in with a double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds. Mike Gansey topped four Mountaineers who also scored in double figures, as the senior forward had 25 points. Kevin Pittsnogle had 15, followed by 14 from Jo Herber and 12 from Frank Young.

West Virginia shot 50 percent from the field (28 of 56) and 35.7 percent from three-point range (10 of 28). Connecticut hit 57.9 percent of its field goal attempts (33 of 57) and 38.5 from three (five of 13).

WVU will have a quick turnaround, as it heads to Syracuse for a Big Monday match-up with the Orange

Pirates Sink Mountaineers

2006-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers lost their second Big East game in a five-day span, as WVU fell to Seton Hall, 71-64, Tuesday night at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey's Meadowlands.

West Virginia has lost on its last four trips into Continental Airlines Arena, and it has fall on six of the past eight trips.

WVU ends its three-game road swing with an 18-6 overall record and a 9-2 league mark. The Mountaineers fell to Pitt last Thursday but then bounced back with a victory at Georgetown before dropping the seven-point decision to Seton Hall.

Seton Hall controlled the tempo and the lead for much of the first half. The Pirates jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening two minutes, but after Jo Herber three and a Mike Gansey layup, West Virginia was on top 5-4 at the 17:00 mark. The two combatants battled back and forth for the next 11 minutes. There were 11 lead changes and six ties during that stretch, as neither club could forge a lead of more than three. But then the Hall ran off on an 8-2 spurt, leading to a 33-26 advantage, and it took a six-point edge, 37-31, into the half.

On Sunday in WVU's victory at Georgetown, the Mountaineers' erased a six-point Hoya halftime lead with a strong run at the start of the second half. But Tuesday in East Rutherford, it was Seton Hall which came out of the lockerroom with a strong effort. The Pirates quickly extended their lead to 44-31, and West Virginia was fighting in uphill battle the rest of the game. WVU kept battling and got to within six at a couple of junctures, but it could never make the shot on the offensive end or get the stop on the defensive end which would have allowed it to reel the Pirates completely in.

The Mountaineers struggled to find their shooting touch, hitting only eight of 32 three-point attempts. On the other hand, Seton Hall converted 49 percent of its field goal attempts. The Pirates also turned the ball only seven times.

Kevin Pittsnogle led West Virginia's offensive effort, pumping in 24 points, to go along with six rebounds and four blocked shots. Mike Gansey added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jo Herber checked in with 10 points. Kelly Whitney topped the Pirates with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Pittsnolge, WVU Bounce Back At Georgetown

2006-02-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle and the Mountaineer basketball team bounced back from a disappointing performance at Pitt on Thursday to score an impressive victory over 16th-ranked Georgetown, 71-56, at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Sunday night.

Pittsnogle had been held scoreless by the Panthers earlier in the week, as Pitt handed WVU its first Big East loss of the season. But West Virginia’s senior center responded with a 25-point effort Sunday against the Hoyas, hitting 10 of his 15 field goal attempts and three of his seven three-point tries. With the win, the Mountaineers moved to 9-1 in the conference, tied for the top spot with Connecticut and Villanova. WVU, ranked ninth in the country in last week’s polls, is also 18-5 overall, as it defeated its fourth top 20 team on the road this season. Georgetown fell to 17-5 overall and 8-3 in Big East play.

The first half looked for a while like it would be a Hoya run-away. Though WVU led by seven, 20-13, eight minutes in, Georgetown went on a 20-2 tear over the next four minutes to assume a 33-22 lead. West Virginia righted the ship slightly in the last few minutes before the half, cutting the deficit to 37-29 by the break.

Georgetown sliced up West Virginia’s 1-3-1 zone defense in the field half, shooting 59 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. But John Beilein switched his defensive attack to a man-to-man in the second half, and the Hoyas were stifled by it, scoring just 19 points in the final period. GU hit just eight of its 33 field goal attempts in the second half (24.2 percent) and was two of 14 from three-point range (14.3 percent).

On the other end, West Virginia’s offense, led by Pittsnogle, began finding the mark. Kevin scored 15 of his game-high 25 in the second half, and Mike Gansey added 10 of his 13 in the decisive final 20 minutes. Jo Herber chipped in 13 for WVU. The Mountaineers shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game and a blistering 62.5 percent (15 of 24) in the second half. Unusually, most of West Virginia’s damage was done inside the three-point arch, as WVU made only one of three three-point attempts in the second half.

Jeff Green contributed 20 points for Georgetown, 15 of them in the second half. But the Hoyas got little offense from anyone else in the second half, as the rest of the GU players totaled just four in the period.

West Virginia’s three-game road swing will conclude on Tuesday when the Mountaineers face Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Pitt deals West Va. first Big East loss

2006-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

He didn't make a shot from beyond the 3-point line, or inside it, either. A year after Pitt had no answer for Kevin Pittsnogle, he had no points and not much impact in a rivalry he personally decided last season.

Ronald Ramon and Aaron Gray scored 16 points each and No. 14 Pittsburgh clamped down on ninth-ranked West Virginia with its man-to-man defense, winning 57-53 Thursday night to snap a two-game losing streak.

West Virginia (17-5, 8-1 Big East) shot miserably -- 34 percent overall and 22 percent (6-of-27) from 3-point range -- in losing its first conference game this season, yet still was within three points in the final minute.

"Two more shots and we might have won this game," said coach John Beilein, as surprised as anyone that the Mountaineers were that close in a game they played so badly.

But Pitt star Carl Krauser, held to three points until then, hit a driving layup with 39 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh (18-3, 7-3) held on to avoid its first three-game losing streak since late in the 2000-01 season. Krauser scored five of his eight points in the final minute.

Mike Gansey had 12 and Patrick Beilein 11 for West Virginia, which had won 15 of its previous 16.

"They played tremendous defense on us," John Beilein said. "They frustrate you. They're very good defenders, and we as a team have to learn how to handle it when that happens. ... I don't like the way we handled a lot of things, but we are going to learn from this game."

Gansey could sense that frustration from his teammates, but he said the Mountaineers can't get down after losing for only the second time since late November.

"Nobody is going to be unbeaten the way the Big East is now," Gansey said.

Remarkably, it was the first time in the neighboring schools' 169-game and 100-year Backyard Brawl rivalry that both were nationally ranked when they met -- though both teams spent most of the game playing like they weren't.

Pittsnogle's 3-point shooting led two Mountaineers comeback victories over Pitt last season in which he scored a combined 49 points, but he quickly got into foul trouble while missing a number of off-balance shots from well beyond the 3-point line in the first half.

The 6-foot-10 senior fouled out with 6:42 remaining after going 0-of-12, including six from 3-point range.

Pittsnogle, averaging 19.3 points, hadn't scored fewer than eight this season and had been in double figures in 15 of his previous 16. He hadn't been shut out since an 84-46 loss to Villanova last season.

"We got a lot of people out on their shooters and didn't give them many open looks," said Gray, who had eight rebounds but also had seven of Pitt's 19 turnovers. "We think we're a good man-to-man team and we can be physical."

As a result, the Mountaineers didn't score for the first 4 1/2 minutes and had only two points in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half. They started the game 2-for-17 and were 1-for-11 from 3-point range 13 minutes in before finishing 18-of-53 overall.

Pitt played nearly as badly for the first 25 minutes as Krauser, averaging 16.2 points, didn't score until there was 17:34 left to play.

"We got away from our offense, and that's how the turnovers came about," Ramon said. "But we started rotating the ball better in the second half and getting some good shots."

The Panthers finally started getting some offensive rhythm with about 15 minutes left, when freshman Sam Young scored on a putback and a shot from the lane ahead of successive 3-pointers by Ramon that made it 40-30 with 10:10 remaining. It was the first double-figure lead for either team. Young had 10 points.

Until then, the game was reminiscent of West Virginia's 70-66 upset at Pittsburgh a season ago, when Pittsnogle scored 20 of his 22 points in the final 9 1/2 minutes as the Mountaineers rallied from 14 points down. But there was no such comeback this time.

Pitt remained unbeaten (14-0) at home while West Virginia lost for the first time in eight road games. Ramon had four 3-pointers while scoring a season high, but was five points off his career high of 21.

Big game thursday

2006-02-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

Good Luck,EERS

Poppa Pittsnogle Leads WVU Past Cincinnati

2006-02-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle’s first child was born Friday afternoon – mom Heather and baby boy Kywnsie are reportedly doing well – and Saturday afternoon the proud new poppa went out and helped the Mountaineer basketball team defeat Cincinnati, 66-57, at the WVU Coliseum.

The senior forward/new dad had 12 points, all on three-point shots, as well as seven rebounds, two rebounds and two blocked shots in 37 minutes of action, barely 18 hours after the birth of his son. West Virginia also got 14 points from Mike Gansey, 11 from Jo Herber and nine each from Frank Young and Patrick Beilein to keep the Mountaineers on top of the Big East standings with an 8-0 league record and a 17-4 overall mark.

The win over the Bearcats (15-8/4-5) did not come easy, as UC muscled its was to a 33-30 halftime lead. Cincinnati had 10 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes which it converted into 14 second chance points. But the ball bounced a different way in the second half, as UC managed just two offensive rebounds and no second chance points in that period. Eric Hicks was the leading glass cleaner for the ‘Cats, as he had 16 points (10 on dunks) and seven rebounds in the first half, but WVU limited the powerful 6-6 Cincy center to just six points and three rebounds in the second half.

With Cincinnati’s inside game limited, West Virginia slowly pulled away for the eight-point win.

The Mountaineers now get a short break in the schedule, as they won’t play again until Thursday when they take the quick bus ride up to Pittsburgh to take on rival Pitt. Tipoff for that game, which will be televised by ESPN, is 9 p.m.

Mountaineers Survive Against Irish

2006-02-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers snapped an 11-game losing streak to Notre Dame Wednesday night but by the slimmest of margins.

West Virginia remained undefeated and on top of the standings in the Big East (7-0) with a 71-70 victory over the Fighting Irish before a sellout crowd of 13,672 at the WVU Coliseum.

Notre Dame (10-9/1-7) lost for the seventh time in the Big East by six points or less this season. The Irish had a chance to pull out the victory, but Chris Quinn’s runner from 15 feet at the buzzer rimmed out, leaving the 11th-ranked Mountaineers (16-4/7-0) celebrating their first win over ND since 1999.

WVU ran out to a 10-0 win at the outset and led by as many as 15 in the first half. But Notre Dame fought back, whittling the Mountaineer advantage down to four, 39-35, at the half. The Irish continued their run in the second half, assuming a three-point lead a couple minutes into the period. From there the dogfight was on, as neither team led by more than six over the last 17 minutes.

West Virginia pushed its way to the front in the late going with lay-ups by Kevin Pittsnogle and Jo Herber, and then withstood the potential game winner by Quinn as time ran out.

Pittsnogle led WVU’s offensive output with 22 points, including four of nine from three-point range. Mike Gansey added 13, while Herber chipped in 10. Quinn and Irish backcourt mate Colin Falls each made six three-pointers. Quinn finished with 24 points, while Falls had 18. West Virginia did force 15 ND turnovers, compared to just seven of its own.

The Mountaineers will be back on the Coliseum court Saturday at noon when they host Cincinnati.

Mountaineers Get By St Johns

2006-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey knew West Virginia's 18-point lead over St. John's wasn't going to stay that comfortable. They just didn't know how close the ninth-ranked Mountaineers would come to losing all of it.

West Virginia made just one field goal over the final 11 minutes and almost blew a 13-point lead in the last 3 minutes, but the Mountaineers managed to hang on for a 66-61 victory on Sunday.

"We didn't expect to win by 20 and obviously we struggled down the stretch," said Gansey, who had 15 points, including four free throws in the final 14 seconds. "St. John's is a tough team and we knew they would make a run."

Pittsnogle had 19 points for the Mountaineers (15-4, 6-0), who remained the only unbeaten team in the Big East. West Virginia was coming off a 58-52 loss to Marshall this week that snapped its 12-game winning streak.

"There have been games where we have given away leads, UCLA for example," Pittsnogle said, referring to last weekend's 60-56 win over the Bruins, a game where a 20-point second-half lead was cut to three in the final 2 minutes. "We know we will make plays at the end of games. We are a senior-laden team and we know how to win games."

The Mountaineers were in control for most of the game, but the Red Storm (10-8, 3-4) got within 62-60 with 30 seconds to play. St. John's put itself in position for a third win over a ranked team in four games.

Gansey missed two free throws with 27 seconds left. Eugene Lawrence missed on a drive but Lamont Hamilton got the rebound for the Red Storm. Daryll Hill threw the ball away with 14 seconds left and Gansey was fouled again.

This time the 65 percent free throw shooter made both and the Mountaineers had a 64-60 lead.

Hill made one free throw with 5.2 seconds left and Gansey ended any thoughts of an upset when he made two more free throws with 3.1 seconds to go.

"I missed two free throws then shook it off and made four," Gansey said.

Frank Young had 11 points, nine in the first half, for West Virginia, which beat St. John's for the fifth straight time. The last three games have been by a total of 10 points.

Hamilton had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Red Storm, who played without starting center Aaron Spears, who was suspended after being ejected for fighting in a loss to No. 1 Connecticut on Wednesday.

Hill added 17 points for St. John's, which finished 3-for-13 from 3-point range and outrebounded West Virginia 49-25.

"These games show we are capable of playing with anybody if we have the focus and energy we need to have," St. John's coach Norm Roberts said of the ranked run that started with wins over Louisville and Pittsburgh. "Now we have games coming against non-ranked teams that are still good basketball teams and we have to play with the same passion. If we do that, we will win our share of games."

The Mountaineers went 7:01 without scoring in the second half, but the Red Storm didn't take advantage and only cut a 54-36 lead to 10 points. Phil Missere's layup with 4:40 to play brought St. John's within 54-44, but 23 seconds later Pittsnogle finally ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer.

"In the second half we played with energy, we played hard," Roberts said. "We had to attack the basket and we did."

Pittsnogle's 3 was the Mountaineers' only field goal over the last 11 minutes. They shot 41.5 percent for the game (22-for-53) and were 10-of-27 from 3-point range. West Virginia entered the game second in the country with 10.3 3-pointers per game.

"We started to shoot too quickly, maybe we played too smart and stopped attacking," West Virginia coach John Beilein said. "We had good shots and didn't make them and that other team was charging. Then Kevin hit that big shot we really needed, the big dagger."

Beilein didn't seem too concerned about his team losing big leads.

"I think that is a pattern in college basketball. We are not alone," he said. "Maybe we took a couple of shots where the shot clock was too high for a road team."

Marshall Stuns Mountaineers

2006-01-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

West Virginia came to the Charleston Civic Center with a 14-3 record, a No. 9 ranking and the nation’s longest winning streak, but all that mattered little, as it was Marshall which left the annual Capital Classic with a 58-52 victory.

It was the Thundering Herd’s (8-9) second consecutive win in the series, the first time MU has won two straight games over WVU (14-4) in 15 games since the rivalry was moved to Charleston.

Mark Patton led the Herd with 16 points and 10 rebounds. MU’s Joe Miles and Tre Whitted added 13 and 11 points, respectively, and spearheaded the Herd’s seven of 20 effort from three-point range.

The Mountaineers, conversely, never found their shooting touch, the second straight year that they have not hit for a season average in points or shooting percentage. WVU, in finishing just 18 of 52 from the field (34.6 percent) made just five 3-pointers – its fewest of the year – in losing for the first time in 13 games.

The loss snapped a national-best 12-game winning streak and rendered West Virginia 9-4 in out of conference play for the year.

Kevin Pittsnogle scored a game-high 20 points and Mike Gansey, half of the Big East’s top scoring tandem along with Pittsnogle (both average 19.8 points), added just 10. Jo Herber also had 10 points.

Mountaineers Get By UCLA For 12 Straight

2006-01-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers went into a Bruin’s den and came out with a precious 60-56 victory Saturday afternoon.

West Virginia’s triumph over No. 16 UCLA in fabled Pauley Pavilion pushed WVU’s win streak to 12 straight and leaves the Mountaineers with a 14-3 record. The Bruins fell to 15-4 with the loss.

After trailing 9-8 a few minutes into Saturday’s contest, WVU’s offense began slicing and dicing the Bruins’ man-to-man defense. West Virginia went on a 31-13 run over the remainder of the first half and took a 39-22 lead into the lockerroom at the midway point.

The Mountaineers pushed that margin to 19 in the early moments of the second half, 49-30, but then WVU started to struggle getting buckets. Though West Virginia got points from the foul line in a nearly 10-minute stretch, but it didn’t get a shot to drop from the field until Mike Gansey nailed a deep three-pointer with 4:49 left in the game. That trey left WVU on top 59-52. Jo Herber and J.D. Collins each missed the front end of one-and-one foul situations in the final few minutes which could have given the Mountaineers a bit more of a cushion, but West Virginia never let UCLA get any closer than three.

The Bruins did have one last chance to tie, getting the ball back with 7.2 seconds left and trailing by just 59-56. But Gansey picked Jordan Farmer clean in the backcourt to secure the victory for WVU.

Gansey finished the game as West Virginia’s only double figure scorer, winding up with 24 points.

WVU will travel home Saturday night, getting back in Morgantown Sunday morning. It will take a quick break to catch its breath and then start preparations for the annual meeting with Marshall (7-8)

Mountaineers Beat Friars, Win 11 In A Row

2006-01-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Maybe it’s a sign of the progress and experience of this year’s Mountaineer basketball team that it can shoot 20.7 percent from three-point range, 42.6 percent from the field and get outrebounded by six (39-33) and still win going away, 64-48, over Big East foe Providence Tuesday evening at the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers played almost perfectly on offense Saturday in racing past Marquette, 104-85, but that wasn’t the case against the Friars, who slowed down the tempo and tried to keep WVU from slicing and dicing with drives and backdoor cuts.

For the most part, the strategy of PC coach Tim Welsh worked well, but the Friars couldn’t make enough shots themselves to really threaten West Virginia. In the end, WVU won its 11th straight game – its longest winning streak in 17 years – as it moved to 13-3 on the season and 5-0 in the Big East Conference.

Providence fell to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the league.Before a crowd of 9,351 at the Coliseum, the Mountaineers jumped out to an early lead, and they never trailed. Providence tried to stay in contention, trailing by just four, 25-21, with 2:30 left in the first half, but West Virginia closed the period with an 8-0 run to take a double-digit advantage, 33-21, at the midway point.

WVU slowly expanded its lead in the second half, going on top by 17, 47-30, seven minutes in. PC made a couple mini-runs, but the visitors from Rhode Island were never able to cut the margin below 11.As normal, Mike Gansey (18 points) and Kevin Pittsnogle (16) led the Mountaineers’ offense.

The Friars wound up with just one player in double figures, as Randall Hanke scored 14, though he had just four in the second half. Providence’s shooting stroke was actually less accurate than the Mountaineers’, as PC made 21 of 54 field goal attempts (38.9 percent) and two of 14 (14.3 percent) from three-point range.

The Friars also turned the ball over 18 times, compared to just seven for WVU. West Virginia is alone at the top of the Big East Conference standings at the moment, but the Mountaineers will now step outside the league for their next two games.

They head to Los Angeles this weekend for a meeting on Saturday against UCLA in famed Pauley Pavilion. That contest will tip off at 3:45 p.m. (Eastern time), and it will be televised nationally by CBS.

After facing the Bruins, WVU will face Marshall on Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Charleston.

Wvu Shoot Down Marquette

2006-01-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineers came out sizzling and remained red hot, running away with a 104-85 victory over Marquette at a soldout WVU Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

With the win, No. 16-ranked West Virginia improved its overall record to 12-3 and upped its league mark to 4-0. It was the 10th straight win for the Mountaineers, matching a 10-game win streak by WVU at the start of last season.

Mike Gansey hit a three from the corner on West Virginia’s first possession, giving WVU a quick 3-0 lead. It was a sign of things to come. The senior forward added four more three-pointers, as well as a lay-up in the game’s first 8:13, leading the Mountaineers to a 27-15 advantage.

Big East newcomer Marquette keep up with the offensive sprint throughout the first half, and the Golden Eagles trailed by just four, 48-43, at the halftime.

But Gansey and his long-distance partner, Kevin Pittsnogle, kept firing away, and eventually Marquette wilted under the onslaught. A 14-2 Mountaineer run midway through the second half turned a tight contest into a blowout.

West Virginia would eventually up its advantage to as many as 22 points before emptying the bench in the final couple of minutes.The combination of Gansey and Pittsnogle again topped WVU’s effort. Mike wound up with 33, while Kevin pumped in 30, becoming the first pair of Mountaineers to each score 30 or more points in the same game since 1967, when Dick Reaser (42) and Carl Head (33) ripped apart Richmond, 105-90.

West Virginia set plenty of other records with the victory. Its 20 three-point field goals was the most in school and Coliseum history, as well as being the most ever in any Big East game.

The 104-point total was also just the second time in the four years of the John Beilein era in which WVU went over the century mark. The only other time had been last year’s 111-105 triple overtime victory against Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Marquette (12-5/2-2) was led by dynamic freshman point guard Dominic James, who had 28 points and eight assists but also turned the ball over seven times.

The Golden Eagles wound up with 21 turnovers, while the Mountaineers committed just five and none in the second half. MU’s senior forward Steve Novak, who had averaged 27.7 points in his three previous Big East games this season, was held to just six.

West Virginia will be back on the court Tuesday, when the Mountaineers host Providence (7-6/0-2) at 7 p.m.. After facing the Friars, WVU will head west for an intriguing non-conference matchup with UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Mountaineers Whip Sooners

2005-12-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle scored 25 points and Johannes Herber added a career-high 21 to lead a strong shooting performance by West Virginia in a 92-68 victory over No. 7 Oklahoma on Thursday night.

Pittsnogle was 8-for-11 from the field, Herber was 9-for-13 and the Mountaineers (7-3) shot 66.7 percent to overcome a career-best 31-point performance from Taj Gray, who tried to single-handedly lead the Sooners (6-2) back from a 13-point deficit in the second half.

Gray scored all of Oklahoma's points in a 13-5 run. He had three baskets off offensive rebounds, including one for a three-point play, and got the Sooners within 61-56.
After a 3-pointer by Mike Gansey, he dodged Pittsnogle and slammed the ball with two hands.

But the Sooners' comeback hopes fizzled after that. Gray was called for goaltending on a shot by Heber, and Heber added a three-point play on West Virginia's next possession to stretch the lead to 69-58.

The Mountaineers then scored 19 of the game's final 22 points for their first win in three games against ranked opponents this season.
Gansey added 15 points and Frank Young scored 14 for West Virginia, which is 7-0 when holding opponents under 70 points this season
Michael Neal scored all 16 of his points in the first half for Oklahoma. The Sooners couldn't get the ball inside against West Virginia's zone in the first half and instead settled for perimeter shots.

About the only way the Sooners could get the ball to Gray was to miss a shot, and they had no trouble doing that. While Gray was 8-for-10 in the second half, his teammates were 5-for-19.

On the other end, the Mountaineers hardly missed.
West Virginia shot 64 percent in the first half, including 13-for-14

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Mountaineers Take Longhorns To The Wire

2005-11-22T01:45:00.000-08:00

So far, the formula is simple: When LaMarcus Aldridge hits double digits in points and rebounds, Texas wins.
His career-high 14th rebound and final basket Monday night couldn't have come at a better time for the second-ranked Longhorns, either.

Aldridge made a putback with 3.6 seconds left and blocked a last-second shot, lifting Texas to a 76-75 victory over No. 13 West Virginia in the semifinals of the Guardians Classic. It was his third double-double in as many games this season.

"I don't remember anything but getting the basketball and going up," said Aldridge, who finished with 15 points.

Daniel Gibson hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead Texas (3-0), which will meet No. 18 Iowa in Tuesday night's championship game. The Hawkeyes beat No. 7 Kentucky 67-63.
P.J. Tucker added 19 points for the Longhorns.

Texas, which trailed by 10 points early in the second half, went up 72-71 on Kenton Paulino's 3-pointer with just over 2 minutes left. But Frank Young answered with a basket 25 seconds later and Mike Gansey hit a layup with a minute to go, giving West Virginia a 75-72 lead.

After the Mountaineers' Johannes Herber and Kevin Pittsnogle missed the front ends of 1-and-1 opportunities, Tucker's follow shot got Texas within 75-74 with 15.4 seconds remaining. Pittsnogle missed another 1-and-1 with 14.7 seconds to go, and Aldridge converted after misses by Paulino and Brad Buckman.
"Our usual trademark is to make foul shots down the stretch, and tonight we didn't," West Virginia coach John Beilein said. "We had two of our best free throw shooters at the line."

After his game-winning putback, Aldridge blocked a last-second layup attempt by Gansey, who led the Mountaineers (2-1) with 28 points.

"We've run that play for years, and it's never been that wide open," Beilein said. "We had a clear layup. I don't know where Aldridge came from."

Replays appeared to show Aldridge leaving his feet and making contact, but no foul was called.
"The referee made the right call," Gansey said. "Texas made a great defensive play. At the end of the game, the referees don't want to determine it and kind of let us play. It was the right call not to make the call."
Aldridge declined to comment on the no-call, but Texas coach Rick Barnes said there was no foul.
"I saw it. It was a clean block," Barnes said. "There's no need to talk any more about it.
"
Buckman also had a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, as the Longhorns outrebounded West Virginia 41-22. Texas won despite committing 24 turnovers, which the Mountaineers turned into 24 points.
"Some of our passes were ridiculous," Barnes said. "To turn the ball over as many times as we did and win, we were fortunate. They're an older, veteran team in midseason form."

Gibson was 2-for-11 from long range and scored 10 total points in Texas' first two victories. Monday night, he went 5-for-6 from 3-point range in the first half and 6-for-7 overall.

But after hitting a 3-pointer 24 seconds into the second half, he didn't score again.

Gansey hit three 3-pointers but was more dangerous close to the basket -- repeatedly cutting inside for layups and cherry-picking on breaks after turnovers by the Longhorns. But he also struggled offensively late in the game, scoring just two points in the final 12 minutes.

West Virginia closed the first half with a 12-4 run, taking a 40-35 lead at the break on J.D. Collins' 3-pointer with 1 second left, and led 48-38 after Gansey's 3-pointer with just under 17 minutes to go.

But Buckman dunked 30 seconds later and then whipped a behind-the-back pass to Aldridge for a layup and a 3-point play, igniting a 13-0 run that put the Longhorns up 51-48 on Paulino's 3-pointer with 14:15 left.

"This game was a test to see how good we are," Tucker said. "There was a lot of adversity. We faced the adversity and won."

Herber finished with 16 points for West Virginia, while Pittsnogle was held to nine points -- less than half his 18.5-point average.

2005-11-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Pittsnogle leads Mountaineers into season of high expectations

2005-11-18T00:24:00.000-08:00

Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey are the biggest reasons the West Virginia basketball team has received the kind of media attention normally reserved for the football team.

The two seniors lead a deep and experienced squad as the 14th-ranked Mountaineers begin their season against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday in the first round of the Guardians Classic.

After a stirring run to the regional finals as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Mountaineers are ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1962.

Pittsnogle and Gansey are among four returning starters and seven of the top eight players from last season for West Virginia, which has not been to the Final Four since Jerry West led the team in 1959.

``This is the most buzz I have ever seen around the basketball team,`` said Pittsnogle, who shot 42.6 percent from 3-point range and averaged 11.9 points last season. ``The football team has always had it, but right now for basketball to be seen how it is, it`s tremendous.
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Senior guard Joe Herber was in Germany over the summer and was taken aback by the attention upon returning to school.

``It`s not like last year. I mean, our name is everywhere, and I don`t even look at the media,`` he said. ``We don`t play expectations, though. We play very good opponents who will show us how good we really are.``
Gansey, who averaged 12 points and shot 34.6 percent from beyond the arc, knows there is work to be done if the Mountaineers are to return to the nation`s elite come March.

The regional final loss to now Big East rival Louisville still lingers thanks to guard Patrick Beilein and Gansey, who have a picture of the celebrating Cardinals players and coaches with a caption that reads, ``How did you feel?``
``We look at that every morning,`` Beilein said. ``We want to remember that every day, how bad we felt. That`s the only picture we left up. That will motivate us.``
Beilein, son of coach John Beilein, averaged 8.3 points and hit a team-high 70 3-pointers as West Virginia`s top reserve.

Louisiana-Monroe hired Alabama assistant Orlando Early in the offseason, and the Indians will be young and perimeter-oriented while trying to improve upon last season`s 8-19 record.
Cecil Hood averaged 9.9 points last season, and Early will be counting on the 6-foot-3 senior to provide leadership alongside freshman point guard Tony Hooper.
Hooper won the starting job by default when fellow freshman Brandon Roberts suffered a foot injury last month.

Adrian Harper will move back to his natural position of small forward after averaging 8.6 points as a power forward last season, and 6-8, 240-pound center Olivier Haranga will take up space inside.
Louisiana-Monroe has an odd mix of players, with five seniors to go with Early`s first recruiting class of seven freshmen.

The winner of this game will play Wofford or Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round Sunday, and the losers will meet in the consolation bracket. The second-round winner will advance to the semifinals at Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 21, and the championship game is Nov. 22.

Pittsnogle Leads The Way

2005-11-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

Offensive-minded West Virginia turned to its defense Sunday to beat Wofford 61-41 and advance to the semifinals of the Guardians Classic.

The 14th-ranked Mountaineers, normally a perimeter-based team, scored only 19 points in the first half on 1-of-10 3-point shooting. But a halftime switch from man-to-man defense to their trademark 1-3-1 zone turned a five-point halftime deficit into a 40-26 lead with 12:15 left.
"They did some tweaking at the half, and they got us," Wofford head coach Mike Young said. "I didn't think (the defense) would have as much teeth as it did."
Wofford (1-1) forced West Virginia to rely on Kevin Pittsnogle to remain in the game early. He responded, scoring 13 of West Virginia's first 17 points, 10 from inside, and finishing with 19 to claim MVP honors for the Morgantown Regional.
"He is an impressive fellow," Young said. "He has great hands and really understands how this thing is supposed to be played."

Other than Pittsnogle, West Virginia was 3-of-19 from the field in first half. It was 8-for-27 overall in the first half (29.6 percent) and finished 14-of-32 (43.8 percent). It hit eight 3s in the second half.
Reserve Patrick Beilein scored all 12 of his on 3-pointers in a 6-minute span in the second half for the Mountaineers and Joe Herber had 10 assists for the second consecutive game.
"I told Kevin (Pittsnogle) when we were warming up for the second half that I was going to hit four 3-pointers," Beilein said. "He came up to me later and said 'I can't believe you did that."'

Pittsnogle. Kevin Pittsnogle.

2005-11-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

Colorful name. Six-eleven. Big tattoos. Goatee. Clutch, sweet jumper. Straight out of a Martinsburg, W.Va., trailer park and looking every bit of it.

But since he is, and since he was one of the stars of West Virginia's Elite Eight run a year ago (where he became one of those March Madness cult heroes), and is now back for a senior year encore at Old State U, well, you can't measure Pittsnogle's popularity around here.

Pittsnogle said he didn't get teased too badly for the name growing up, but when you wind up being 6-foot-11 and 255 pounds, and have big tattoos, kids tend to avoid teasing you.
"I get Pitts-NEW-gel a lot," said PITTS-nog-uhl. "Or they add letters to it. Schmidtsnoogle or something. It's weird."

West Virginia is a humble, blue collar, little-rough-around-the-edges state that is easy to underestimate. That would also adequately describe Pittsnogle, who is one of the centerpieces of a classic college basketball outfit.
The Mountaineers are ranked in the Top 15. The program is surging. They aren't out of line to dream of a Final Four. Wouldn't the home state belong to Pittsnogle then?
"West Virginia is just a great place to live," he said. "There is always something to do, there are great people, people are friendly. It's great. It really is."
Pittsnogle in Morgantown. It really can't get much better than this.