LDN - Sports

West comes on to help No. 12 WVU top Texas

[February 21, 2017] MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The absence of Esa Ahmad left No. 12 West Virginia short-handed, but reserve Lamont West picked up the slack in a 77-62 win over Texas on Monday night.

West, a lanky redshirt freshman, scored a career-high 23 points while shooting 6 of 8 from 3-point range, and guard Jevon Carter produced 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers (22-6, 10-5 Big 12).

During a first-half flurry in which West scored 15 points in six minutes, he gestured into the stands toward his mom, who made the four-hour drive from Cincinnati.

"I don't want to have her come here to see me just sit on the bench because I'm not playing good," said West, who was averaging only 5.7 points per game.

While the Longhorns (10-18, 4-11) knew of West's range, the Texas defense didn't always close out quickly enough.

"He made a couple threes against us last time we played them, so we're very aware of him," Longhorns coach Shake Smart said. "That's what he does -- he shoots the ball from the outside. That one is disappointing because he had 20 points in the first half and really gave them a huge spark."

NBA one-and-done prospect Jarrett Allen finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for Texas, which dropped to 0-13 away from home this season.

Ahmad, West Virginia's second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game, was sidelined due to a lower back strain. His teammates struggled for a few minutes before controlling the game to lead 46-32 at intermission before stretching the cushion to 20 points in the second half.

Carter's double-double included four assists and only one turnover. He played 38 minutes just two days after playing 45 minutes in a double-overtime win over Texas Tech.

"He was terrific both games," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "We ask him to do a lot, and he does a lot. He does a great job with the press, and we ask him to handle the ball, and we ask him to run offense and we ask him to score."

There was a scary episode when the 63-year-old Huggins -- who experienced a near-fatal heart attack in 2002 -- dropped to his knees during a timeout late in the first half, rendering the WVU Coliseum silent. After consulting briefly with team trainer Randy Meador, the coach remained on his sideline stool for the final possession and returned for the second half.

He said that internal defibrillator "went off," causing the problem.

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West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter (2) dribbles past Texas Longhorns guard Kerwin Roach Jr. (12) during the second half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

"I talked to a couple people (at halftime), but I didn't get hooked up to any machines or anything," Huggins said. "I guess I got a little light-headed, which I do when I stand up too fast sometimes. A lot of that is old age and a lot of it is some of the medication I take. I'm like 99.9 percent of other guys my age in America -- I've got AFib (an irregular heartbeat)."

Eric Davis added 14 points, Kerwin Roach scored 13 and Andrew Jones had 11 for the Longhorns, who lost their fourth game in a row despite compiling a 30-16 edge in paint scoring.

"(West Virginia) had a really good jump-shooting night," Smart said, "and some of them we definitely could and need to defend better."

Forward Elijah Macon made all four shots while scoring 10 points for the Mountaineers, who are tied with Iowa State for second place in the Big 12, 2 1/2 games behind Kansas. West Virginia recorded 20 assists on 28 baskets, with Carter, Tarik Phillip and Teyvon Myers contributing four each.

A streaky start saw the Mountaineers trail 12-2 before West ignited a 21-3 surge. He sank 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range and finished a four-point play after being fouled on his follow-through by Davis.

"You leave a good shooter like that wide open and you see what he can do," Carter said. "Hopefully every team plays him like that. He came here saying he was the best shooter that we've ever seen, and he's just doing what he do."

NOTES: West Virginia completed the season sweep, as the Mountaineers won 74-72 in Austin on Jan. 14. .. The Longhorns, who entered the game ranked 331st nationally in 3-point shooting at 30.1 percent, shot 3 of 13 from long range. ... F Lamont West's big night helped the Mountaineers to a 36-5 edge in bench scoring.

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