In this handout provided by Bahamas Visual Services, West Virginia’s Tucker DeVries reacts during an NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga at the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Paradise Island, Bahamas, Wednesday, November 27, 2024. I’m doing it. (Tim Iren/Bahamas Visual Services, via AP)
MORGANTOWN — From almost heaven to just paradise, West Virginia.
That’s how the WVU men’s basketball team felt Wednesday when the Mountaineers delivered the biggest shock early in the college hoops season with an 86-78 victory over No. 3 Gonzaga inside Imperial Arena in the Bahamas.
“Our biggest focus since we all got here in June is that we’ve brought in a lot of new players and we only have one player from last year. We’re growing together. I have to.” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “This was part of it. This is a step and I’m excited to see what this team can do.”
There may be a few more waiting to see what this group can do after erasing a five-point deficit with 25 seconds left in regulation and outscoring the high-scoring Bulldogs in overtime.
“I thought today was a great step in the right direction.” WVU guard Tucker DeVries said. He was the hero, hitting a 3-pointer at the end of regulation and making two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to tie the game. “We knew there were a lot of things we needed to improve on from that Pitt game. We really dug into the things we needed to improve on and improved on them. It was about leaning on each other more offensively and defensively. Ta.”
WVU’s next game is today at noon against Louisville. The Cardinals (4-1) also pulled off a huge upset with an 89-61 win over No. 14 Indiana.
There were many moments that led to this win for the Mountaineers (4-1), starting with the play of Javon Small, who had 31 points and seven rebounds.
“Let me just say, he was very good.” Darian DeVries said.
Or is it the defensive play of WVU’s Sensile Harris and how he was against Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard, who had 12 assists but was held to just 7 points on 1-of-10 shooting? Maybe it’s because of the work I’ve done.
“They kept taking Ryan away the whole game.” said Gonzaga forward Braden Huff, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points. “When he’s taken away, we have to make a move. We had some good sets, but (WVU) was a high-pressure team that got us out of trouble.”
Or maybe the Mountaineers played the first half like an AAU track meet, with Gonzaga (5-1) leading 39-31 at intermission – but the second half simply turned the game into a real basketball game. Maybe he changed it.
“Our whole game plan was to not make this a transition game.” DeVries said. “We love to run, but this was a game where we thought they were better than us and we had to find a different strategy.”
All of this played a role in WVU cutting into the Bulldogs’ lead and never relinquishing it.
Still, the Mountaineers were trailing 71-66 with 25.6 seconds left in regulation, and Tucker DeVries played the most important role at that point.
He made a 3-pointer with 18.9 seconds left, and WVU opted for a steal rather than a foul.
DeVries picked Nolan Hickman’s pocket near the center of the court and ran in for a layup, but was fouled. He made both free throws, sending the game into overtime.
“We had a good possession on offense.” he said. “The guys up front in the press did a great job and got us up to speed. They were in a hurry to get through half court and got a little loose. We just happened to get a steal and make a play. I did.”
Overtime went almost entirely to the Mountaineers, who took the lead for good on Toby Okani’s two free throws, giving WVU a 75-73 lead with 2:59 remaining.
WVU went 3-of-5 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the foul line to pick up Darian DeVries’ biggest win at WVU in the young era.
“We didn’t have a lot of connection defensively, so we had a hard time scoring.” Nembhard said. “They were the better team in overtime and throughout the game.”
In addition to Small’s individual performance, WVU got a career night from forward Amani Hansberry, who had 19 points and eight rebounds, giving WVU a 42-36 advantage in rebounds.
Tucker DeVries added 16 points and Okani finished with 10 points.
