West Virginia Storms Back for Massive Comeback Win Over Oklahoma State

West Virginia moved to 9-3 overall and 2-2 in league play following Monday nights 87-84 win over Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers got off to yet another slow start but battled back in the 2nd half to earn the win.

Oklahoma State pounded the paint in the first half getting 26 of their 45 first-half points on the inside. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins has stated that defending near the rim has been a glaring issue all season, and it continued tonight.

Cowboys guard Isaac Likekele led all scorers at the break with 16 points on 6/7 shooting, with most of his scoring coming down low. Meanwhile, West Virginia fell in love with the three-ball once again and didn't make much of an effort to get the ball on the block. The Mountaineers were 4-14 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes of play and shot just 32% from the field. The Mountaineers did their job on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive rebounds but could not capitalize on the extra opportunities. Oklahoma State's zone defense forced West Virginia into bad shot selections, bad passes, and a lack of ball movement. Their zone really bothered the Mountaineers.

Derek Culver bounced back nicely after a poor performance on Saturday and had a double-double by halftime (11 points, 10 rebounds). Oklahoma State led the entire first half and led by as many as 12 before going into the locker room up 45-35.

West Virginia trailed by 18 at the half on Saturday versus Oklahoma and battled back in the 2nd half, and it happened again on Monday night. The Mountaineers lacked energy and gave up way too many easy looks near the bucket, allowing Oklahoma State to continue to blow by defenders on the dribble drive and killed West Virginia on cuts to the basket.

Down 19 points midway through the 2nd half, the Mountaineers started to creep back into the game as two threes from Taz Sherman, and Miles McBride sparked a 15-1 West Virginia run, cutting the lead to just five with eight minutes to play. A few moments later, West Virginia went on another run that finally gave them their first lead of the game with three minutes to go. West Virginia's defense started stringing together stops, and Miles McBride hit back-to-back threes to give the Mountaineers a four-point lead.

The Mountaineers and Cowboys traded buckets back and forth down inside the final minute, but Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham fouled out of the game with 31 seconds left as Kedrian Johnson drew a charge near the block.

West Virginia made enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win, but it was a defensive stop at the end that sealed up the comeback win.

The Mountaineers will return home for their next game to play host to No. 4 Texas, who just defeated Kansas 84-59 in Lawrence.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the page's top righthand corner. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.