West Virginia’s offense flowed on Friday as the Mountaineers coasted past Portland State 89-71 in the Phil Knight Legacy.
Six Mountaineers recorded double-digit points as they scored their second-highest point total of the season through six games. They finished 61 percent of their shot attempts, the highest field goal percentage by West Virginia in over a decade.
That offensive explosion was facilitated by a tough showing on defense. WVU forced 24 Viking turnovers, including 16 before halftime, and turned those into 24 points.
Like the Mountaineers’ first game in the event against No. 24 Purdue, though, that tough play led to some extra whistles. Bob Huggins was forced to manage his lineups in the second half as seven of his players entered foul trouble. No Mountaineer accumulated five fouls, however Joe Toussaint, Mohamed Wague and Jimmy Bell Jr. each reached four.
That problem was not unique to West Virginia, as the two teams combined for 54 foul calls. Two Vikings, Jorell Saterfield and Mikey Starks, fouled out.
Through the game’s physical play, WVU had no issue sharing the ball, assisting on 20 of the team’s 31 made shots. No Mountaineer dominated in that column as Emmitt Matthews Jr. led WVU with four dishes, while five of his teammates gave out multiple assists.
Tre Mitchell led WVU with 16 points with his four rebounds and two assists, missing just one shot in the contest. Matthews added 14 points, while Toussaint, Kedrian Johnson, Erik Stevenson and Seth Wilson all finished in double figures.
Cameron Parker led the game with 19 points from Portland State, but he struggled to find his scoring from the field, shooting 3-for-9 in the contest. 11 of his points came from the free throw line.
Hunter Woods was the only other Viking with double-digit points, adding 12 to Portland State’s total.
West Virginia advances to its final game in the Phil Knight Legacy and will face Florida on Sunday. That game will tip off at either 8:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. ET, however the exact time is yet to be announced.