West Virginia pounds Rutgers, Marquette blows by Pitt
Five players scored in double figures, as West Viriginia handed Rutgers their fifth consecutive loss 81-63 on Thursday night. The Mountaineers have struggled of late, winning for just the second time in their last five outings. West Virginia led 42-27 at the break and Rutgers never threatened in the second half. Rutgers couldn’t keep a hold of the basketball, committing 17 turnovers that resulted in 29 easy points for the Mountaineers, who turned the ball over just four times.
The Golden Eagles swarmed the Panthers, using a 17-0 run early as the second half began and No.25 Marquette routed No.24 Pittsburgh on Friday night, 72-54. Jerel McNeal had 17 points for Marquette, and while Dominic James was held to just five points, he dished out an array of beautiful assists, 12 in all, and James didn’t turn the ball over once.
Pittsburgh got a huge emotional boost, returning guard Levance Fields to the lineup, who missed the last 12 games with a broken left foot. Fields, as expected, struggled to get his legs under him the first time out, shooting 1-of-7 from the field for four points. Sam Young led the Panthers with 18 points. Pittsburgh had a hand in helping Marquette during their 17-0 run, committing eight turnovers in the opening nine minutes of the second half and misfiring on nine of their first 11 shot attempts. The Golden Eagles dominated the Panthers in the paint as well, pounding Pittsburgh 16-2 in the lane. Freshman DeJuan Blair was silenced, finishing with just six points and five rebounds, and it was a tough night as well for Ronald Ramon, who had four points on 1-of-7 shooting. Overall, Marquette’s defense limited Pittsburgh to 37 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Eagles picked up their first win against a ranked opponent this season.
Tags: Big East Basketball, Marquette Golden Eagles, NCAA Men's basketball, Pittsburgh Panthers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, West Virginia Mountaineers