West Virginia seeks top form vs. Oklahoma State

Field Level Media|published: Fri 26th January, 14:01 2024

Jan 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard RaeQuan Battle (21) is greeted by teammates after a play during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum. credits: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Neither West Virginia nor Oklahoma State are off to desired starts in Big 12 play.

With both teams in the conference basement, Saturday's meeting between the teams at Stillwater, Okla., presents an opportunity to move in a positive direction.

For Oklahoma State (8-11, 0-6 Big 12) the pressure is mounting. The Cowboys appeared to be on the way to their first conference win Tuesday, leading TCU by 17 points in the first half.

However, an almost nine-minute stretch without a field goal bridging the first and second halves doomed Oklahoma State, as it fell 74-69 to extend its losing streak to six games.

"We have got to be more consistent throughout the game," Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. "When we get late in games and the jump shot is letting us down, we have to find a way to get to the free throw line."

John-Michael Wright paced the Cowboys with a season-high 16 points. Javon Small scored 15 points and leads the team at 13.9 points per game, followed by Bryce Thompson's 12.5

Despite averaging just 71.9 points per game (second worst in the Big 12), Boynton doesn't think his team's problems lie on the offensive end.

"Our offense really hasn't been the problem," Boynton added. "We're not the Golden State Warriors by any means, but we've got to get better and more forceful on the defensive end."

The only team in the Big 12 that scores less than the Cowboys is West Virginia, at 68.4 points per game. The Mountaineers (7-12, 2-4) followed a massive upset of then-No.3 Kansas last weekend with a less-than-impressive offensive showing Tuesday at UCF.

West Virginia shot just 36.2 percent from the field in a 72-59 loss to the Knights.

"We can't just put our head down and try to go through people," West Virginia coach Josh Eilert said. "We have to share the ball. We didn't execute our game plan but credit to Central Florida."

The Mountaineers didn't have a starter score in double figures Tuesday, with Josiah Harris leading the way with 15 points off the bench.

On the season, RaeQuan Battle leads the team with 17.9 points per game.

West Virginia is aiming for its first win at Stillwater since Jan. 4, 2021.

—Field Level Media

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