West Virginia gets better of in-state rival Marshall, 94-71

SAN DIEGO – Jevon Carter scored 28 points, Lamont West added 18 off the bench and West Virginia overwhelmed its in-state rival beating Marshall 94-71 on Sunday night in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Mountain State showdown more than 2,000 miles from home was a one-sided celebration for the fifth-seeded Mountaineers. Bigger, more physical and making fewer mistakes, the Mountaineers (26-10) took control with a 19-0 first-half run, and Carter’s three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half made sure there wouldn’t be a rally coming from the 13th-seeded Thundering Herd.

West Virginia will face top-seed Villanova in the round of 16 on Friday.

Aside from his scoring, Carter was the leader of West Virginia’s swarming defense that made the night miserable for the Herd. Marshall star Jon Elmore had more turnovers than points in the first half and was held to 15 points after scoring 27 points in the upset of Wichita State.

Ajdin Penava led the Herd (25-11) with 18 points.

The first meeting between the in-state rivals since 2015 when their annual series abruptly ended was a big enough event that West Virginia Governor Jim Justice flew out to watch the game in person. Wearing a blazer that was half dark blue and half green, Justice spent the first half on the West Virginia sideline and the second half with the Marshall cheering section.

There wasn’t much cheering from the Marshall fans as West Virginia led by as many as 31 in the second half.

But this was decided in the first 20 minutes thanks to West Virginia’s dominant run to take control. While Carter, West and their teammates were getting easy looks at the offensive end, Marshall became careless with the ball and missed a number of shots around the rim. After taking an 18-11 lead, Marshall missed six layups in the final 13 minutes of the first half and watched West Virginia surge ahead. Elmore was the most notable Marshall player to struggle with West Virginia’s pressure finishing the first half with just three points – scored in the first 65 seconds of the game – and six turnovers.

West Virginia led 42-25 at the half and Carter’s early 3s to start the second half ended any thought of a rally. Carter had 17 points in the second half.