NCAA Tournament 2017, West Virginia vs Bucknell: Highlights, score and recap

Highlights from Thursday’s West Region First Round matchup between the fourth-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers and No. 13 Bucknell Bison from Buffalo.

The West Virginia Mountaineers avoided a second straight early NCAA Tournament exit with a narrow 86-80 victory over the Bucknell Bison in a West Region First Round game on Thursday in Buffalo.

Both teams went back and forth with a frenetic pace early and were tied at 10 by the first media timeout. A 17-2 midway though the first run appeared to put West Virginia in control, as Bucknell was unable to handle the press early and couldn’t stop the Mountaineers in the paint.

Bucknell impressively made a run of its own to cut the deficit to 37-33 with 2:30 to go in the first half. While the Mountaineers pushed the lead to nine with a late spurt before halftime, Patriot League Player of the Year Nana Foulland kept the Bison right in the game with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first half.

West Virginia continued to struggle with Foulland on both ends and was unable to generate any offense in transition.  Kimbal Mackenzie scored 14 of his 23 points in the second and hit  a crucial three to trim West Virginia’s lead to 58-55 with just over 12 minutes to go.

Three minutes later, Foulland picked up his fourth foul with the Bison down five and did not return until the 4:22 mark. The Mountaineers could not extend the lead with Foulland on the bench despite dominating the offensive glass, as Mackenzie kept Bucknell within striking distance with hot outside shooting.

With West Virginia’s lead still at five heading into the under-four timeout, Jevon Carter hit a crucial three to go up 76-68. Stephen Brown answered with a deep shot of his own, making it a 77-72 game with a minute left.

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament bracket

Free throw shooting has been an issue for West Virginia all season long, but Tarik Phillip hit six straight from the charity stripe to seal a hard-fought 86-80 win. West Virginia finished with a 33-2 advantage in bench points and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to help make up for a nearly even turnover battle.

Three Stars

1. Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia.  Chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists, including a crucial perimeter shot late.

2. Kimbal Mackenzie, G, Bucknell. Kept the Bison close throughout the second half, finishing with 23 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

1. Nathan Adrian, F, West Virginia. Led balanced team effort with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting plus 10 rebounds.

Highlights

Up Next

West Virginia moves on to the West Region Second Round for an intriguing matchup with fifth-seeded Notre Dame.