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Mountaineers Roll in Darian DeVries’ WVU Coaching Debut
Mountaineers Roll in Darian DeVries’ WVU Coaching Debut
Mountaineers Earn a Victory in Season Opener
The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team began the 2023-2024 campaign with an 84-68 victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Monday evening at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The contest marked the head coaching debut of Darian DeVries and the first game for the Mountaineers since the departure of Bob Huggins.
West Virginia jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half and never looked back, leading by double digits for the majority of the game.
Balanced Scoring Attack
The Mountaineers had a balanced scoring attack with four players reaching double figures.
- Erik Stevenson led the way with 18 points, going 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range.
- Tre Mitchell added 17 points, while Mohamed Wague and Emmitt Matthews Jr. each chipped in 12 points.
West Virginia shot 48% from the field and 40% from three-point range.
Defensive Dominance
The Mountaineers also played tough defense, holding Oakland to just 37% shooting from the field, including 25% from three-point range.
- West Virginia forced 12 turnovers and blocked eight shots.
- The Mountaineers held Oakland's leading scorer, Jalen Moore, to just 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
Jimmy Bell Jr. led Oakland with 16 points, while Moore added 11 points and Micah Parrish came off the bench to score 10 points.
Looking Ahead for the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers will next host Radford on Friday, November 11th, at the WVU Coliseum before traveling to face Pitt on Tuesday, November 15th, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Golden Grizzlies will return home to face Detroit Mercy on Thursday, November 10th, at the Athletics Center O'rena in Rochester, Michigan.