Javon Small Comes up Huge Saturday on Jerry West Day on the WVU Coliseum – West Virginia College Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – How do you want Javon Small now?
 
Snubbed from the Wood Award Midseason Prime 25 checklist revealed earlier this week, the Huge 12’s main scorer tallied a game-high 27 factors, together with 12 in a row late within the recreation, to steer West Virginia to a surprising 64-57 victory over second-ranked Iowa State on the WVU Coliseum in the present day.
 
“This was a kind of video games you simply by no means knew which approach it was going to go,” West Virginia coach Darian DeVries stated afterward. “It got here all the way down to the wire, and happily, we have been capable of make sufficient performs to complete that factor and are available out on high.”
 
West Virginia wanted a bit Coliseum magic towards an Iowa State staff that was a one-point loss towards top-ranked Auburn faraway from being undefeated, and it obtained it from the 14,444 within the constructing this night to rejoice Jerry West Day. 
 
West Virginia College acknowledged the late West’s household throughout a halftime celebration that included the announcement that no Mountaineer participant in any sport will ever put on West’s jersey No. 44 once more, just like what Main League Baseball did with Jackie Robinson’s No. 42.
 
The three-time NBA Corridor of Famer died final June 12 in Los Angeles.
 
“What an unimaginable recreation on a day that we’re honoring Jerry West’s legacy and what he did, not just for this program, however for the sport of basketball,” DeVries stated. “That is what he constructed, and for all these followers to return out in help of him, our program and staff, it simply means a lot to everybody who’s concerned.”
 
Right this moment, it was Small who performed lots like West as soon as did in his head-to-head matchup towards Iowa State’s Curtis Jones, who got here into in the present day’s recreation averaging 17.8 factors per recreation.
 
Jones completed with a team-high 18, however the Cyclones could not match West Virginia’s 3-point capturing and difficult, in-your-face halfcourt protection.
 
Iowa State missed its first 13 triples earlier than Jones lastly obtained one to go down early within the second half; it ended the day 1 of 17 from behind the arc. In the meantime, West Virginia was profitable on 9-of-27, together with 4-of-8 from Amani Hansberry.  All 12 of Hansberry’s factors got here from behind the arc.
 
Small’s stat line was very Wood Award-like with 27 factors, seven rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals towards the No. 2 -rated staff within the nation.
 
“What an unimaginable participant he’s and continues to be,” DeVries stated of Small. “Down the stretch he simply form of willed us to win.”
 
It was West Virginia’s fourth victory towards ranked groups thus far this 12 months.
 
Iowa State (15-2, 5-1) took an early 19-12 lead on a Jones layup, however West Virginia battled again with seven straight factors to take a 22-21 lead. A Hansberry 3 with 1:15 left helped the Mountaineers to 25-24 benefit at intermission.
 
The Cyclones retook the result in start the second half and had a 41-37 lead with 9:09 left on Keshon Gilbert’s basket.
 
However Small answered with back-to-back buckets to tie it. Then got here a Jonathan Powell 3 and an Eduardo Andre steal that led to his layup and three-point play when he was fouled by Dishon Jackson.
 
After Joseph Yesufu’s contested basket gave West Virginia a 51-49 lead with 2:06 left, Small took over.
 
His typical three-point play with 1:39 remaining constructed the Mountaineers’ result in 4, 53-49, after which a defensive cease led to 2 extra Small free throws 20 seconds later.
 
The massive basket got here with 42 seconds left when Small lined up and knocked down a 3 to provide West Virginia an eight-point lead. The senior guard punctuated in the present day’s efficiency with a breakaway dunk with 21 seconds left, a lot to the delight of a raucous and enthusiastic scholar crowd right here in the present day. Most of them caught round afterward to rejoice with the gamers on the ground throughout the singing of Take Me House, Nation Roads.
 
“What an superior ambiance right here within the Coliseum tonight!” DeVries stated. “A thanks to the followers for that further power and the additional edge that we wanted down the stretch.”
 
Gilbert scored 13 and Joshua Jefferson added 10 for Iowa State, which noticed its 12-game profitable streak come to an finish.
 
West Virginia, sporting particular Jerry West-era throwback uniforms, boosted its file to 13-4 general and 4-2 in Huge 12 play, regardless of capturing simply 39.3% and getting outrebounded 38 to twenty-eight for the sport.
 
The Cyclones additionally outscored the Mountaineers 40 to 22 within the paint, however WVU countered with 14 steals resulting in a 19 to 2 edge in fastbreak factors.
 
WVU’s different wins over ranked foes have been towards third-ranked Gonzaga, towards 24^th-ranked Arizona and towards seventh-ranked Kansas. It’s the first time since 2017, throughout the “Press Virginia” days, that West Virginia has defeated three high 10-ranked groups in the identical season.
 
The Mountaineers stay in Morgantown to tackle Arizona State on Tuesday evening. The Solar Devils misplaced at Cincinnati earlier in the present day.
 
Tickets for that recreation are on sale via the Mountaineer Ticket Workplace and may be bought on-line by logging on to WVUGAME.com.