The West Virginia Mountaineers dropped their first exhibition game of the season at Maryland Sunday evening 90-81 in overtime.
West Virginia senior guard Finley Bizjack led the Mountaineers in scoring with 25 points, freshman guard Miles Sadler put in 16 points and four assists and senior guard Seydou Traore produced 13 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Maryland redshirt sophomore guard Andre Mills led all scorers with 27 points and senior forward Pharrel Payne recorded a double double, 26 points and 10 rebounds.
The key stat of the day outrebounded 48-37, allowing 24 offensive rebounds for 26 secnd chance points.
Maryland won the opening tip and put the game’s first points on the board following offensive rebound and kickout for a three from graduate guard Mike McNair Jr as the Terrapins started the game with an 8-2 advantage.
West Virginia freshman guard Miles Sadler sparked the Mountaineers with a straightaway three and dunks from freshman center Madou Seini and Traore capped a 7-0 to give WVU its first lead of the afternoon 9-8 at the 15:34 mark.
After Maryland took a 12-9 lead, the Mountaineers constructed an 11-2 run, highlighted by a trio of threes with Bizjack hitting two of the three for a 20-14 advantage.
Bizjack buried his third and fourth three of the half, followed by a dunk from Seini, put the Mountaineers up 12 with just under eight minutes remaining in the half.
The Terps got back within single digits, but the Mountaineers went on an 11-1 run, behind nine of junior guard Martin Somerville,’s 13 points on the day coming during the stretch hitting a pair of threes and a perfect 3-3 from the line as the Mountaineers held a 19-point advantage, 42-23, with 3:37 left to play in the half.
West Virginia was efficient from the perimeter in the first 15 minutes, shooting 8-11 from three, but cooled to close the half as Marland chipped away at the lead, but the Mountaineers took a 46-31 advantage into the break.
West Virginia and Maryland traded buckets to open the second half before fifth year forward Brenen Lorient dunked the ball off the pass from Sadler for his first bucket of the game after first half foul trouble to keep a double-digit lead, 50-37.
However, the Mountaineers were held scoreless and committed five turnovers to contribute to a 12-0 Maryland run to pull within one.
A steal in the backcourt by Traore and was fouled for a pair of free throws stopped the run and Bizjack went 2-2 from the free throw line to extend the lead back to five, 54-49, with 12:24 remaining in regulation.
Maryland took its first lead of the game during an 8-0 run. McNair hit back-to-back threes and Andre Mills drove the lane to put the Terrapins 59-56.
West Virginia battled back to take the lead. Traore kept the Mountaineers alive with a big offensive putback and Bizjack scored four-straight for a 66-65 lead.
Marland answered, but another offensive putback from Traore maintained the slim advantage.
Maryland stretched its lead back to four after Mills answered with a jumper in the paint and followed with a deep second chance three as Maryland took a 72-68 lead into the under four-minute media timeout.
Freshman guard Kaden House tossed up a three as the shot clock expired for a five-point Maryland, but after exchanging empty possessions, Bizjack hit a corner three. Then, a steal by Lorient led to a dunk to tie the game at 75 with 12 second remaining.
Lorient and Javan Buchanon walled off Mills with Lorient credited with the block as the game went into overtime.
Mills sparked an 8-2 run to start the extra period and was capped with an alley-oop to Payne for an 83 77 advantage with 2:33 left to play in the game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google