MORGANTOWN — Patrick Suemnick nearly became the ultimate whodunit on Saturday.
As in those old Clue board games we played as kids, the one where it took dozens of questions to find out Colonel Mustard pulled off the murder with the lead pipe in the study.
Well, it was through grit and determination that Suemnick nearly helped the Mountaineers pull off the upset against Ohio State with a basketball in Cleveland.
Nearly was the unfortunate word for WVU, which eventually fell 78-75 to the Buckeyes in overtime inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“He gave us excellent minutes,” was the way WVU head coach Josh Eilert began his description of Suemnick’s game.
That may be a bit of an understatement. Suemnick’s role has generally been that of the understudy, providing spot minutes to give the starters a chance to catch their breath.
That role took a different turn against the Buckeyes, with Suemnick playing a career-high 27 minutes, finishing a perfect 4 of 4 from the field to finish with nine points and five rebounds.
“Hopefully we can continue to build on that for him and he gets some more confidence,” Eilert said. “Especially with Jesse (Edwards) out, this is an opportunity for him to get more minutes and get more playing time and help his team.”
It began late in the first half, as the Mountaineers (5-8) were climbing out of a 24-10 hole they had dug themselves.
Noah Farrakhan took an opening and drove to the rim, only to have to force up an awkward lay-up, trying to get it over the reach of Ohio State shot blocker Felix Okpara.
The shot skimmed across the backboard and over the rim, right where Suemnick was waiting in mid-air and he took the ball and dunked it.
That set up a second half where Suemnick nearly became the silent assassin of sorts.
WVU, again, had fallen into a hole. Ohio State’s lead was 58-49 with 6:57 left in regulation.
Suemnick helped change that, first on an and-one three-point play after Quinn Slazinski drew the defenders to him before flipping the ball to Suemnick in the paint.
He then grabbed an offensive rebound and challenged the 6-foot-11 Okpara for another basket.
WVU now trailed 65-63 with 1:13 left, and it was Suemnick who put the game in overtime.
“One of the best things Pat does is set really good hard screens,” Eilert said. “With the guards we have going downhill, that’s a strength of his.”
WVU’s last possession in regulation saw Suemnick in a pick-and-roll situation with Farrakhan. The idea was to get Farrakhan a look at the rim by creating a driving lane.
“More than anything, we were trying to go downhill for Noah,” Eilert said. “Regardless, if you do things right and he draws all the help, you’re going to be in a position to get that bucket.”
Which was how Suemnick capped off what was almost an unforgettable game.
Farrakhan got to the rim and leaped into the air, but rather than forcing up a shot, he flipped the ball back to a wide-open Suemnick.
“It happened so fast, not a lot is going through my mind,” Eilert said of the play.
Maybe, too, for Suemnick, who didn’t have the time to think about it, only to react and put in the shot that sent the game into overtime.
“Everyone in that locker room wants to do their part and play their role to help us win,” Eilert said. “We certainly haven’t had a lot of consistency with our roster, so some these roles are starting to be defined.”
