It was a script straight out of Hollywood, but rather than some sci-fi blockbuster, West Virginia’s 74-65 victory against No. 14 TCU on Wednesday was sort of a mixed genre.
It was part inspirational, part horror flick, and in the end, Keanu Reeves got to walk off into the sunset with a bazooka in one hand, the leading lady in the other.
“This was a different game,” TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said afterward. “This wasn’t a basketball game. It was what we expected.”
It was a physical affair from start to finish, an inspirational effort by WVU (11-7, 1-5 Big 12), whose players had been knocked down, but certainly not knocked out, over the course of losing five Big 12 games in a row.
“I got them together after the Oklahoma game and I said, ‘Fellas, we’re going home for three of four, let’s go win. Let’s go win four,’ ” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “All of a sudden, at 4-5, it looks a whole lot different. We’ll go from there.”
By the end of the first half, the 14th-ranked Horned Frogs (14-4, 3-3) were the ones on the canvas.
“We didn’t let them get on a run,” is the way Huggins saw it. “They’re really good when they’re running at you, but we didn’t let that happen.”
And then came the horror show.
TCU came out in the second half and made 11 of its first 13 shots. They were shooting 85% from the field and on a tear.
“I think they came out with an edge, because we pretty much manhandled them in the first half,” Huggins said.
Doubt begins to creep in. So does the fear of living the same game one right after the other.
It’s almost like quicksand. The harder you struggle to get out, the more it continues to suck you back in.
“Of course,” WVU point guard Kedrian Johnson admitted afterward. “It’s almost happened every game.”
What was once an 18-point lead near the end of the first half was now just a 62-60 advantage with 5:14 remaining.
Maybe WVU’s best player, Tre Mitchell, had already fouled out two minutes earlier after picking up a technical foul while arguing a no-call with referee Kipp Kissinger.
WVU was on the ropes, a sight we’ve seen too many times this season.
You’re just waiting for that one final mistake that would seal its fate. You’re fingers are covering your eyes, as you try not to look.
“This time,” Johnson said. “All of our guys said, ‘We’re not losing this one.’ ”
Johnson has become the unquestioned leader of the team, Huggins said as much after the game.
Johnson’s 20 points were key, but in those late moments, it was his running mate Joe Toussaint that stepped up into the spotlight.
Using his speed and determination, Toussaint took one possession and simply said, “Try and stop me from getting to the rim.”
His high-arching shot went off the backboard and through the net. Moments later, Toussaint was driving into the lane, but this time he put on the brakes and knocked down a jumper around the foul line.
“We stayed disciplined,” Toussaint said. “TCU is a tough team. We knew they weren’t going to back down. We stayed composed, and we made our run afterwards.”
What was anybody’s game at 62-60, was now WVU’s for the taking at 70-62.
There were other heroes worth mentioning. Jimmy Bell Jr. had a great game with 15 points and 12 rebounds and he hauled in a pass from Erik Stevenson for a dunk that gave WVU a 66-60 lead.
This was no one-man show, as it generally takes a collection of men working together to reach that happy ending, rather than just one superstar.
Still, it was a happy ending for the Mountaineers. With everything they’ve been through so far, the win was well deserved.
“I’m happy we got one,” Toussaint said. “Now we just build. We got one, but we got 14 or 15 left.”
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