WOAY – West Virginia men’s basketball overcame a slow start, while holding off a late Cyclone rally, to win 76-72 at Iowa State Tuesday night.
The hosts would lead by as many as seven in the opening minutes, before West Virginia found momentum and took a 42-31 lead into halftime. The Mountaineers would build their lead to 15 points before Iowa State began their rally; the Cyclones pulled to within one but were never able to retake the lead.
Taz Sherman led the Mountaineers with 18 points, while Derek Culver recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds. Sean McNeil and Emmitt Matthews Jr. each scored 13 points off the bench, while three Iowa State players each scored score 15 points.
West Virginia returns to Morgantown on Saturday to host Kansas, the first of six straight games against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25.
Also on Tuesday, Bluefield College lost both games of a basketball doubleheader at Truett-McConnell; the women’s game finished 69-66 while the Ram men lost 88-85. In addition, WVU Tech women’s basketball lost 93-79 at Rio Grande.
