STILLWATER, Okla. — There were moments when Erik Stevenson was the best player on the floor on Monday’s clash between West Virginia and Oklahoma State. He led the Mountaineers with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and he scored nine consecutive points to give WVU a second-half lead after they trailed by 13.
And then it happened, again. While celebrating a three-pointer, Stevenson was assessed a technical foul, which became his fourth personal foul. Less than two minutes later, an offensive foul ended Stevenson’s night. He has fouled out and been whistled for a technical foul in consecutive games. Stevenson’s actions blunted a wave of momentum which his teammates could not regain as the Mountaineers fell 67-60.
“Two times we had the game going our way. Two times somebody thought it was more important that they saw him than they saw us. That’s wrong,” said WVU head coach Bob Huggins.
Struggles at the charity stripe continue to confound as the Mountaineers missed 11 of 28 attempts.
“I think it comes down to some guy’s integrity. Whether or not you make a hundred shots before you leave the gym is up to you, in a sense,” said Tre Mitchell. “You can say that you made a hundred and not actually. I personally don’t know if dudes have or haven’t. I know I make all of mine every day.”
After turning the ball over 20 times in Saturday’s loss at Kansas State, 15 more giveaways followed against the Cowboys.
“We’ve had 35 turnovers in two games,” Huggins said. “How do you call yourself a basketball player when you turn it over 35 times in two games, a basketball team?”
Bob Huggins went deeper into his bench with eleven players taking the court. Sophomore Pat Sumenick saw his most extensive action in six weeks. He grabbed four rebounds and had two points in seven minutes.
“He did a great job,” Huggins said. “He missed some free throws and missed some shots around the goal. But the thing about Pat is I think Pat will come in and work a little harder at those things now knowing and hoping that he gets another shot.”
The midway point of the regular season will arrive for the Mountaineers next week and 16 conference games remain on the calendar. But in a conference that is widely regarded as the deepest in the nation, a pair of missed opportunities on the trip have the Mountaineers looking up at every team in the league standings.
