West Virginia men's basketball got their groove back in a big way on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers got brought to earth with a tough Backyard Brawl loss to Pitt after winning back-to-back games to start the season, and needed to prove to both their fanbase and themselves that the game was a fluke.
It was that motivation that propelled WVU to a hot start they wouldn't look back from, as they exerted their will completely on Iona in every facet of the game and ran away to an 86-43 win.
WVU (3-1) started hot, going 12-of-20 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range in the first 8:03 to jump to a 27-12 lead that put Iona (1-4) at a steep deficit from the jump. The Mountaineers would keep a hot hand shooting all night -- fixing the biggest issue in the team's loss to Pitt -- as they'd finish the night shooting 51% from the field and 48% from behind-the-arc. The team's 15 made three-point baskets was the most for the program since 2018.
Defensively, the Mountaineers put on a clinic -- they held the Gaels to just 23% shooting, forced 21 turnovers and tallied 11 blocked shots. They also played an impressive game on the boards. Iona entered 4th in Division 1 in offensive rebounds per game and 29th in rebounding margin, and despite WVU lacking size and having struggled in all three previous games with rebounding, they outrebounded Iona 39-36.
Javon Small led WVU in points, assists and steals in a huge individual performance -- he finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Four Mountaineers hot double digits scoring -- Tucker DeVries added 13 points, Jonathan Powell contributed 11 points, and Amani Hansberry notched 10 points. Hansberry also led WVU in rebounds with 9 boards. DeVries and Eduardo Andre combined for 7 of the team's 11 blocked shots.
WVU's next test will be their most significant yet as they face perennial power Gonzaga in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.