Mountaineers Find Strength in Front Court
West Virginia (4-0) was led in scoring by Oscar Tshiebwe, who finished with 21 points in Friday's 69-44 win over Boston University (3-3).
The Mountaineers opened the game on an 18-2 run. Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Logan Routt all contributed early in the contest. The trio scored 12 of those first 18 points as they went on to combine for 37 points and 18 rebounds on the night.
The Mountaineers can cause serious issues for opposing teams with the size and strength that their front court brings. The depth of this year's team will also prove to be beneficial throughout the season.
"You don't really have to worry about getting tired," Routt commented shortly after 17 minutes of playing time.
Tshiebwe finished with his second double-double on the season. He collected 10 rebounds to go along with his 21 points. He was an efficient 10-13 from the field, while snatching three steals for himself and swatting away two shots on the defensive end of the floor.
Culver dealt with foul trouble throughout the game, but still managed to record 10 points (3-5) and four rebounds in 16 minutes of play. Culver spoke on the quick progress of the young Mountaineers after the game. "As a whole, as a team, we're making very very big strides to meeting our goals and the standards that we want to meet."
Logan Routt, the senior, finished with six points (3-6) and four rebounds. He also came away with two steals. Routt collected one of those steals in the second half when he dove into a scrum for a stray ball.
The Mountaineers will now travel south to Cancun, Mexico. They won't take the court again until Tuesday when they face a pesky Northern Iowa (6-0) team. Look for West Virginia's trio of big men to make an impact in the first game of the Cancun Challenge. Culver stated after the game that the Mountaineers will "continue to build on what we have going on so far" next week in the early-season tournament.
