Kedrian Johnson scored a season-high 17 points and Emmitt Matthews Jr. collected 16 points and nine rebounds to fuel host West Virginia to an 81-70 victory over UAB on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va.
Matthews overcame landing awkwardly on his left knee early in the contest to make 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. The Mountaineers (8-2) shot 50.0 percent from the floor (27 of 54) but just 26.3 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 19).
Joe Toussaint scored 14 points, and Tre Mitchell recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists as West Virginia improved to 5-0 at home this season.
UAB’s Jordan “Jelly” Walker overcame a sluggish start to finish with 19 points and seven assists. He entered Saturday’s game as the nation’s leading scorer at 25.7 points per game.
Blazers reserve Javian Davis recorded 19 points and nine rebounds for his second double-double of the season. KJ Buffen added 11 points and seven boards for UAB (7-2), which saw its six-game winning streak come to a halt.
The Blazers erased a nine-point, halftime deficit after Walker’s drained a pair of 3-pointers and a jumper before Ledarrius Brewer’s jumper gave UAB a 47-45 lead with 14:32 to play.
The Mountaineers turned the tide in short order, however. Stevenson made five free throws and a jumper, and Matthews sank a 3-pointer as part of a run that pushed their team’s advantage to 73-60 with 5:40 remaining.
West Virginia was not seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Matthews landed awkwardly on his left knee while attempting to catch a long pass early in the game. He gingerly walked to the locker room before checking back into the game.
Davis’ layup gave UAB a 22-21 lead before West Virginia ignited a 19-10 run, with Toussaint scoring six points during that surge.
Gale Catlett, West Virginia’s all-time winningest basketball coach, was in attendance on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
