North Texas Mean Green vs West Virginia Mountaineers Match Player Stats On Dec 11, 2020

Sean McNeil scored 15 points and No. 11 West Virginia posted a 62-50 victory Friday afternoon in its home opener over pesky North Texas at Morgantown, W.Va.

The date of the home opener was the latest on the calendar for the Mountaineers (5-1) since they opened the 1944-45 season on Dec. 9.

West Virginia erased an eight-point halftime deficit and overcame shooting 37.7 percent in its first meeting against the Mean Green (1-3). North Texas agreed to the game earlier this week after the Mountaineers' originally scheduled contest against Robert Morris was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.

McNeil was the only Mountaineer to shoot well as he finished 5 of 9 from the field and came within one point of a career high.

West Virginia's Taz Sherman added 11 of his 13 points after halftime while leading scorer Derek Culver posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds after being held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes.

Javion Hamlet scored 15 points to lead North Texas, which dropped its third straight and hasn't defeated a ranked team since beating Louisville in 1971. Thomas Bell added 12 points but leading scorer Zachary Simmons was held to two points.

The Mean Green shot 18.2 percent after taking an eight-point lead at halftime, and they hit 34.5 percent from the floor overall.

West Virginia scored the first 10 points of the second half and regained the lead at 31-29 on a three-point play by Culver with 16:01 remaining. The run expanded to 18-0 and the Mountaineers took a 39-29 edge on two free throws by Emmitt Matthews Jr. with 13:51 remaining.

After missing its first nine shots of the second half, North Texas got within 39-34 on a 3-pointer by Bell with 12:35 left.

West Virginia appeared to be on the verge of pulling away when it took a 49-36 edge on a 3-pointer by Sherman with 8:19 to go, but North Texas continued hanging around and was within 55-49 with 1:56 remaining on a jumper by Hamlet.

West Virginia finally iced the game on a jumper by Sherman with 93 seconds remaining and made six free throws the rest of the way to finish it off.

North Texas overcame West Virginia's 11-0 run midway through the first half and ended the first half with a 23-8 run for a 29-21 lead at halftime.

--Field Level Media