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2 p.m. ET: Surging No. 21 Ohio State Visits No. 11 West Virginia
Morgantown, WV (Sports Network) - Da’Sean Butler had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists as 11th-ranked West Virginia held off No. 21 Ohio State, 71-65, at WVU Coliseum.
Darryl Bryant had 14 points while Wellington Smith added 11 for the Mountaineers (15-3), who have won three of four.
William Buford had 22 points, Evan Turner added 18 points and 11 boards while Jon Diebler donated 11 points for the Buckeyes (14-6), who had a three-game winning streak stopped.
The Mountaineers started the second half on fire as the team scored the first 10 points and cut its deficit to 40-38 on a Kevin Jones layup less than three minutes in.
The game stayed close for the next several minutes, but Jones tied the game with a jumper and Butler gave West Virginia its first lead of the game on a three-ball with just under nine minutes to play.
West Virginia gave itself some breathing space as Butler hit two free throws and, after Turner missed two free throws, Joe Mazzulla put in a layup for a 68-61 lead with 3:44 to play.
After a Butler free throw made it an eight-point game, Diebler hit two from the line and Dallas Lauderdale followed with a tip-in with 56.7 seconds to play to make it a four-point game
Butler then missed a jumper, but Diebler miss a three-ball at the other end and Bryant’s two free throws in the final moments capped the win.
The Buckeyes got the first eight points of the game and later held an 18-7 lead after Buford followed two free throws with a jumper about 7 1/2 minutes in.
Ohio State built its lead to 14 points several times in the closing stages of the first half and took a 40-28 lead into the break.
West Virginia plays at DePaul on Tuesday...Ohio State plays at Iowa on Wednesday...West Virginia has won seven of the last eight against Ohio State, but still trails in the series, 9-7.
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