Culver leads No. 14 West Virginia from 19 down past Okla St
Associated PressJan 5, 2021, 12:16 AM EST
© Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
STILLWATER, Okla. — Derek Culver had 22 points and 19 rebounds to help No. 14 West Virginia come all the way back from 19 down in the second half to beat Oklahoma State 87-84 on Monday night.
Miles McBride scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime for West Virginia (9-3, 2-2 Big 12), including 14 in the final four minutes. Taz Sherman added 20 points for the Mountaineers, who lost 75-71 at Oklahoma on Saturday.
Culver had already earned his Big 12-leading sixth double-double of the season in the first half, with 11 points and 10 rebounds heading into the break.
Freshman star Cade Cunningham had 25 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute for Oklahoma State (7-3, 1-3). Isaac Likekele added a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds for the Cowboys, who were coming off a gutsy 82-77 overtime win at then-No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday.
Oklahoma State led by 10 at halftime and increased its advantage to 68-49 when Rondel Walker knocked down two free throws with 11:15 remaining. But the Mountaineers responded with a stunning 18-3 run over the next four minutes that pulled them within four and silenced the socially distanced crowd of 3,350.
Minutes later, McBride scored eight straight points as part of a 10-0 run, including a 3-pointer from the left corner that gave West Virginia its first lead, 76-75, with 3:01 remaining. His 10-foot jump shot then gave the Mountaineers an 83-79 advantage with 57.5 seconds left.
With the Mountaineers ahead 83-81, Cunningham drove to the basket with a chance to tie it but was called for charging, his fifth foul, with 31.1 seconds remaining.
West Virginia: Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins earned his 300th win at West Virginia. Huggins, second only to the 439 wins of Gale Catlett (1979-2002) in Mountaineers history, is just one behind North Carolina coach Roy Williams' 891 career triumphs for fifth on the all-time Division I list. In 39 years as a head coach, Huggins' record stands at 890-375 overall.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys led for virtually the entire first half and well into the second. A 7-0 run capped off by Likekele's two free throws with 12:07 left in the opening half gave Oklahoma State a 26-14 lead, its biggest until Bryce Williams' 3-pointer with 3 seconds left gave OSU a 45-35 advantage heading into halftime. After losing their two previous outings by a combined four points, the Cowboys led by at least 10 through much of the second half and initially looked as though they might avoid another close finish.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Mountaineers, who dropped five spots in the AP Top 25 following their loss at Oklahoma on Saturday, looked as though they might fall a little more until they mounted their comeback. Now they might even move up.
Oklahoma State received votes in the most recent poll and if the Cowboys had been able to pull out the victory, it would have given them back-to-back wins over ranked opponents.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers return home to play No. 4 Texas on Saturday.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys head out on the road to face Kansas State on Saturday.