MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jalen Bridges continued his rise as a freshman impact player for West Virginia.
The Fairmont native scored 15 points and added five rebounds Friday night, as third-seeded West Virginia beat Morehead State, 84-67, in the first round of the NCAA tournament inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
It began with his first shot, a 3-pointer that gave the Mountaineers (19-9) an early 9-6 lead.
By the end of the first half, Bridges had made 3 of 4 from the field in what was his first NCAA tournament action.
“It’s been great to see Jalen’s growth and maturity,” WVU Deuce McBride said. “I’ve seen a lot of what he can do in practice and I’ve always tried to remind him to bring more confidence and keep attacking. Obviously, you saw tonight that when’s he’s confident and attacking, he’s hard to stop.”
Since becoming a starter on Jan. 2, Bridges has averaged 8.2 points per game and has contributed 26 3-pointers.
That outside shooting could come in handy in the second round, as WVU faces Syracuse and the Orange’s 2-3 zone on Sunday.
“Jalen’s been big for us ever since we made the switch and went to four perimeter guys,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “He’s continued to grow and expand his role.”
Time for 900
It was a milestone that took some patience, but Huggins became just the sixth Division I men’s basketball coach with 900 career victories with the Mountaineers’ victory against Morehead State.
WVU players mobbed Huggins after the game.
“I love those guys and it was gratifying for me they could be a part of it,” Huggins said. “I think they enjoy (the milestone) more than I do.”
Huggins’ career record now stands at 900-381 and it was the second time he picked up a milestone victory in the NCAA tournament.
Huggins also picked up his 500th career win in the first round of the 2002 tournament, in a 90-52 win against Boston University.
Huggins sat at 899 wins after the Mountaineers (19-9) beat TCU on March 4, but then lost two consecutive games against Oklahoma State (one came in the Big 12 tournament), which set up the opportunity against the Eagles (23-8).
Huggins needs two more victories to tie Bob Knight for fifth place on the all-time win list.
“Being able to be here means a lot to me,” McBride said. “I was really glad we could get this W for him.”
News and notes
** WVU improved to 16-14 all-time in its opening round game of the NCAA tournament and 32-29 overall.
** Derek Culver needs just four rebounds Sunday against Syracuse to reach 800 for his career. He would become the 13th WVU player with 1,000 career points and 800 career rebounds.
** WVU entered the game with just one player — senior Gabe Osabuohien — with NCAA tournament experience.
As a freshman at Arkansas, Osabuohien played one minute in a first-round loss against Butler in the 2018 NCAA tournament.
Osabuohien transferred to WVU last season.
** The game tipped off at 10:32 p.m. It is believed to be the latest tip-off for any WVU game in school history.
** WVU opponents during the 2020-21 season that qualified for the NCAA tournament finished 5-0 on Friday. Florida, Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all won in the first round. The Big 12 went 4-0 on Friday.
WVU will also have six other opponents play in first-round games today: Georgetown, Kansas, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Virginia Commomwealth and Texas.
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