MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s second-half letdowns are turning into a one-man gang for the Mountaineers’ opponents.
For the second consecutive game, the Mountaineers let a double-digit lead in the second half slip away Saturday, as No. 20 Texas pulled out an 82-81 victory.
And for the second straight time, the comebacks were highlighted by one player’s efforts.
Against Texas, Longhorns’ forward Timmy Allen scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half just three days after Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington scored 25 of his 35 points in over the final 20 minutes to lead Iowa State to a victory.
“I don’t think they were similar,” WVU guard Taz Sherman said. “Allen is like a hybrid (small forward or power forward) that you can go to the low post with. He’s strong and physical. He’s a mismatch and does most of his damage inside the paint. Brockington is more of a pure scorer. They did have good games against us the past two games.”
WVU (14-15, 3-13 Big 12) held a 10-point lead against Texas with 10:31 remaining. It held a 12-point lead against Iowa State with 14:19 left in the game, but the Mountaineers couldn’t hold on in either one.
Allen led Texas’ charge by getting himself in the paint and drawing fouls. He made 9 of 12 from the foul line in the second half and also added four baskets in the paint.
“If he is not an all-conference player in this league, then I don’t know who is,” Texas head coach Chris Beard said.
Allen added 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots on the night.
Flagrant fouls
Texas was charged with two flagrant fouls in the game, the first resulting in an ejection for Longhorns forward Brock Cunningham.
With 10:31 left in the first half, WVU guard Malik Curry intercepted a pass and began to race down the court for what appeared to be an easy lay-up.
That was until Cunningham came into the play and gave a hard foul that sent both players to the ground.
“As soon as I saw his arm come down, I knew he was going to foul me,” said Curry, who had a career-high 27 points. “Once I fell, I felt his whole body fall onto me and I felt like that wasn’t a basketball play. That was unnecessary.”
Curry got up and reacted by getting in Cunningham’s face and was whistled for a technical foul.
“Anybody that’s playing basketball is going to react to that some type of way,” Curry said. “Those types of fouls are uncalled for.”
Referees reviewed the play and charged Cunningham with a flagrant 2 foul and he was ejected from the game.
In the second half, Texas guard Courtney Ramey was charged with a flagrant 1 foul, when he swiped his arm across the head of WVU forward Gabe Osabuohien when Osabouhien was driving to the basket for a dunk.
With just a flagrant 1, Ramey got to stay in the game and WVU got two free throws and possession of the ball.
“I know Brock Cunningham is not a dirty player,” Beard said. “I know Courtney is not a dirty player. I know we don’t teach that. If it was a play that went down that way, we’ll look at it and address it.”
Kedrian Johnson still hurting
WVU went with Kedrian Johnson in the starting lineup against Texas, one game after he sat out against Iowa State with bad hips.
But, Johnson only played seven minutes and did not play in the second half. He finished with three points and a rebound.
“He’s fought it,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “He’s got some deep bruises. He tried to go.”
News and notes
West Virginia only recorded 17 rebounds in the game, its lowest total since Feb. 4, 2017, when it had 16 boards against Oklahoma State.
In its last two games, WVU is allowing opponents to shoot 58.8% from the field (53 of 90). Texas connected on 63.4% (26 of 41) on Saturday.
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