WVU Finds Win Column
Bolden, Ahmad combine for 43 points in victory
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MORGANTOWN--Sometimes all it takes is a talk.
That was the case with West Virginia senior Esa Ahmad following a Jacksonville State performance which witnessed the record season-lows in minutes played (4) and points (2).
"I played more," Ahmad said following a 21-point, nine rebound game in WVU's 78-68 win over Lehigh on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. "I played four minutes in that game (Jacksonville State).
"I came out more aggressive. We talked after that game. Just talking. Obviously, the talk worked."
West Virginia's coach Bob Huggins explained the conversation a little bit differently.
"You can't put that in the paper," Huggins said. "He played more within himself. I think he and Beetle (Bolden) and sometimes Lamont (West) press too much. They try to do things out there that they just can't do.
"Today, (Ahmad) let the game come to him more. He is really good off the ball. He's good on the curl. (Sunday), he did both of those things and he saw that it worked."
Not only for Ahmad, but for Bolden as well.
"We really didn't talk about it (not starting) much," said Bolden, who tallied a game-high 22 points as WVU improved to 8-4 with it's Big 12 season opener against visiting Texas Tech slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday. "I did that all last season, so it was nothing new for me."
Getting the starting nod at point guard for the first time in his short Mountaineers career was true freshman Jordan McCabe. The Wisconsin native responded with five points, three rebounds and a pair of assists in 12 minutes of action.
"Yeah, it was really neat (running on the carpet)," McCabe, who was named Mr. Basketball by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association, said. "Coach gave me a whole 10 minutes (before the game) to get ready for it (my first start)."
The game was anything but a blowout as Lehigh (7-4) matched the Mountaineers shot for shot throughout the first half and through much of the second.
However, WVU was able to slowly pull away from the Mountain Hawks over the final 12 minutes of action thanks to a 52-25 edge in rebounds and the play of freshman forward Derek Culver.
"(Culver) played well," Huggins said. "He's capable of being an elite rebounder. He has the strength and he has the hands. We just need him to slow down sometimes."
Culver, who was playing in only his second game of the season because of a suspension prior to the team's opener, finished with his first collegiate double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds).
"When I played in high school, I was normally the biggest guy on the floor, so I didn't have to work too hard for rebounds," Culver said. "But, up here, everybody you play is big and you have to work harder just to get to the ball and once you do, you have to continue to work hard if you want to score."
Cameron's Logan Routt and Moundsville's Chase Harler were again in the starting lineup. Routt tallied two points and hauled down five rebounds while Harler added three points, four assists and a rebound to the Mountaineers' totals.