West Virgina Falls in Big 12/Big East Battle

The Mountaineers grabbed an early 5-2 lead after junior guard Kobe Johnson buried a corner three but despite West Virginia shooting 4-5 from the field, the game was tied at 13 at the 15:09 mark of the first half. 

West Virgina forward Quinn Slazinski buried a straightaway three and hit three consecutive free throws to score six straight for the Mountaineers and a six-point advantage.

Following a three-pointer from sophomore forward Josiah Harris, the Mountaineers went nearly seven minutes without a field goal, while St. John's scrapped together a 10-0 run to regain a 25-22 lead with 7:44 left in the half. 

Mountaineer center Jesse Edwards ended the drought with an emphatic dunk, following a contested layup from Slazinksi that was off the mark, sparking a 6-0 WVU spurt and reclaiming the lead. 

St. John's tied the game four times in the final three minutes of the first half as the Mountaineers went into halftime tied with the Red Storm at 36. Slazinski and Edwards led West Virginia with eight points apiece at the break while Red Storm center Joel Soriano led all scorers with 17 points. 

West Virginia held a 45-43 lead after the first three minutes of the second half, until another four-minute scoring drought propelled an 8-2 run by the Red Storm, giving St. John's a six-point lead, 53-47, at the 12:30 mark. 

The Red Storm built a nine-point lead, but Josiah Harris knocked down a corner three, and Ofri Naveh followed with a pair of free throws to get back within four and prompting a timeout from St. John's head coach Rick Pitino with just over four minutes to play in the game. 

West Virginia climbed within two after a Slazinski drove to the basket, drew the foul and completed the three-point play from the free throw line, then followed with another contested drive to the bucket with two minutes remaining in the game.

The Mountaineers could not reclaim the lead as the Red Storm gradually pulled away with the 79-73 victory.  

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