BUFFALO, N.Y. — The way West Virginia was missing one shot after another, the thought actually crossed forward Kevin Jones’ mind whether the Mountaineers would ever hit a basket.
After missing their first 11 attempts, the second-seeded Mountaineers eventually found their range Friday — and have Jones to thank for leading the way.
The sophomore forward scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the first half in helping West Virginia (28-6) roll to a 77-50 win over No. 15 seed Morgan State and avoid another Big East flameout in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“We always let teams get off to those huge leads and let them get confidence and that’s where it hurts us,” Jones said. “I’m just glad we could come out and stomp on them and not let them back into the game.”
Stomp they did.
Jones went 4-for-4 for nine points during a decisive 21-4 run over a 6-minute stretch in the first half. Devin Ebanks scored 16 and added 13 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who found another dimension to their offense after the Bears contained star guard Da’Sean Butler.
Reggie Holmes scored 12 points for Morgan State (27-10), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champ, which followed up its first tournament appearance last year with another bid this season. Kevin Thompson had eight rebounds and three blocks to go with nine points for the Bears.
The Big East champions advanced to the second round of the East Regional on Sunday, when West Virginia will face No. 10 seed Missouri after its 86-78 win over Clemson.
College Men
Related Photos
-
Associated Press West Virginia’s Devin Ebanks (3) and Morgan State’s John Long battle for a rebound during the first half of their first-round NCAA tournament game in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday. West Virginia won, 77-50. Associated Press
WVU survives slow start to rout Morgan St.
Kevin Jones’ 17 helps Mountaineers roll, 77-50
- College Men
-
-
George Mason knocks off Villanova
George Mason has another fantastic March story to tell.
-
Morehead State stuns Louisville on three-pointer
Demonte Harper made a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 4.2 seconds left Thursday to lead 13th-seeded Morehead State to the first upset of the NCAA tournament, a 62-61 victory over No. 4 Louisville in the Southwest regional.
-
UNC within reach of ACC crown after turbulent year
North Carolina has regrouped after its stunning season-long slide, withstood a line of player defections and overcome the slower-than-expected start of freshman star Harrison Barnes.
-
ACM loses, 79-68
Devin Miller hit six three-point goals and scored 25 points to lead top-seeded Hagerstown Community College to a 79-68 win over fourth-seeded Allegany in the Region XX, Division I men’s basketball semifinals Saturday night.
-
WVU can’t keep up at Pitt, 71-58
Lamar Patterson scored the first five points of the second half in sparking a decisive run that led fourth-ranked Pittsburgh to a 71-58 win over West Virginia on Thursday night.
-
Armstrong scores 20 to send ACM over PG, 81-65
Derrell Armstrong scored 20 points and led a strong all-around team performance that carried the Allegany College Trojans to a convincing 81-65 victory over Prince George’s in their Maryland JUCO Tournament quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Frederick Community College.
-
Armstrong, Chesson lead ACM over Dundalk
Derrell Armstrong and Marcel Chesson both tallied double-doubles for Allegany College of Maryland during the Trojans’ 91-59 win over Dundalk in the Play-In round of the Maryland JUCO Tournament Tuesday night at Bob Kirk Arena.
-
Jackson’s 31 drives BC past Maryland
Boston College’s Reggie Jackson simply had to learn to drive past people to open things up for himself and snap out of a midseason shooting slump.
-
ACM extends win streak
It was no thing of beauty but no one counts style points at the end of the season.
-
Mississippi beats No. 10 Kentucky, 71-69
Chris Warren rattled in a 25-footer over two defenders with 2.9 seconds remaining and Mississippi beat No. 10 Kentucky 71-69 on Tuesday night.
- More College Men Headlines
-
George Mason knocks off Villanova
