Trending
MORGANTOWN -- Winning can be contagious.
So can free throw shooting. At least that was the case Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum as West Virginia (10-12, 2-7 Big 12) held off Oklahoma (15-7, 3-6) for its first win since knocking off then-No. 5 Kanas.
"We just got locked in," junior Wesley Harris explained following the game. "We work on them every day. We shoot 100 of them every day. But, it's always good to see that first one go in.
"Once you see your teammate hit one, it lets you know they can go in and you are more relaxed when it's you going to the line."
That was the case against the Sooners. After a first 20 minutes of action where free throw shooting was definitely not a clinic -- as the teams combined to 9 of 22 attempts from the line.
Harris, who finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and an assist and a steal, stepped to the line twice and hit both ends of a one-and-one to keep the Sooners on the short end of the score.
At the time it might not have looked as important as it would as the game wore down to its final frantic moments.
"Sure, it was big," freshman Derek Culver explained about Harris' made free throws. "It (shooting free throws) is contagious. We see him make four in a row and we go to the line with a little more confidence."
Culver, who has become a double-double machine since the season began, chipped in 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds while redshirt freshman Brandon Knapper tallied a career-high 25 points -- including going 7-for-9 from the line.
"You see Wes go up there and hit those four, and they were big at the time because they kept us in the lead, and you just know that you can do it as well," explained the South Charleston native, who connected on four of six from beyond the arc. "It gives us all confidence."
Joining the double-double club for the Mountaineers was senior Esa Ahmad -- 12 points and 13 rebounds -- while Chase Harler contributed three points in 18 minutes of play.
"It's what we've all been waiting for," WVU coach Bob Huggins said when asked about Knapper's career night. "He did a good job. But I also thought that Esa was terrific and that Wes played one of his better games."
The highlight of the day for the 11,611 fans in attendance, other than the win, was the introduction of the surviving members of the 1958-59 team which played for a national championship.
Among those in attendance from that squad was Hall of Fame coach Willie Akers and the NBA logo Jerry West.