Toussaint, Stevenson lead WVU over Pittsburgh 81-56
PITTSBURGH -- — Joe Toussaint scored 18 points, Erik Stevenson added 16 and West Virginia beat Pittsburgh 81-56 in the Backyard Brawl on Friday night.
West Virginia (2-0) won its sixth straight over Pittsburgh (1-1), the longest streak in the series between the schools 75 miles apart since the Mountaineers won nine consecutive times from 1964 to 1968, when the teams met twice a season.
Pittsburgh went nearly five minutes without a field goal, allowing the Mountaineers to extend a nine-point halftime lead. Stevenson made three baskets in about a two-minute stretch to put West Virginia ahead 56-40 with 14:55 left in the game.
Nelly Cummings, playing with four fouls, hit a pair of baskets 33 seconds apart to cut the deficit to 59-49 with 9:02 left, but Pittsburgh got no closer.
West Virginia finished the game on a 22-7 run with Toussaint scoring eight in that stretch.
The Mountaineers shot 53% (30 of 57) from the floor and forced 19 Pittsburgh turnovers.
Mohamed Wague added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and Emmitt Matthews scored 10 for West Virginia.
Jamarius Burton led Pittsburgh with 16 points and Greg Elliott added 12. Blake Hinson, who scored 27 points in Pittsburgh’s 80-58 win Monday over UT Martin, was held to five points.
Stevenson and Burton were teammates at Wichita State and transferred after the 2019-20 season. Stevenson went to Washington for one season, then to South Carolina for another. Burton headed to Texas Tech for one season.
BIG PICTURE
West Virginia: Coach Bob Huggins earned his 918th career win, moving within two of Jim Calhoun for third place all-time among Division I coaches, behind only Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and recently retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers were plagued by foul trouble for much of the game and were limited to 20 points after halftime.
UP NEXT
West Virginia: The Mountaineers host Morehead State on Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers face No. 22 Michigan in the Legends Classic next Wednesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP--Top25
Game Information
- Referees:
- Mike Roberts
- Bert Smith
- Kipp Kissinger
2023-24 Big 12 Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Houston | 15-3 | - | 32-5 |
Iowa State | 13-5 | 2 | 29-8 |
Baylor | 11-7 | 4 | 24-11 |
Texas Tech | 11-7 | 4 | 23-11 |
BYU | 10-8 | 5 | 23-11 |
Kansas | 10-8 | 5 | 23-11 |
Texas | 9-9 | 6 | 21-13 |
TCU | 9-9 | 6 | 21-13 |
Oklahoma | 8-10 | 7 | 20-12 |
Kansas State | 8-10 | 7 | 19-15 |
Cincinnati | 7-11 | 8 | 22-15 |
UCF | 7-11 | 8 | 17-16 |
Oklahoma State | 4-14 | 11 | 12-20 |
West Virginia | 4-14 | 11 | 9-23 |
2023-24 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
North Carolina | 17-3 | - | 29-8 |
Duke | 15-5 | 2 | 27-9 |
Virginia | 13-7 | 4 | 23-11 |
Pittsburgh | 12-8 | 5 | 22-11 |
Clemson | 11-9 | 6 | 24-12 |
Syracuse | 11-9 | 6 | 20-12 |
Wake Forest | 11-9 | 6 | 21-14 |
Virginia Tech | 10-10 | 7 | 19-15 |
Florida State | 10-10 | 7 | 17-16 |
NC State | 9-11 | 8 | 26-15 |
Boston College | 8-12 | 9 | 20-16 |
Georgia Tech | 7-13 | 10 | 14-18 |
Notre Dame | 7-13 | 10 | 13-20 |
Miami | 6-14 | 11 | 15-17 |
Louisville | 3-17 | 14 | 8-24 |