West Virginia is after its second straight win against a ranked opponent when it travels to No. 7 Houston for a Big 12 Conference showdown on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers (11-5, 2-1 Big 12) knocked off No. 22 Kansas on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va., behind 23 points from Honor Huff.
Brenen Lorient’s return to form was key for West Virginia. The senior forward was in concussion protocol and missed the Big 12 opener on Jan. 2, an 80-59 loss at Iowa State. He came off a quiet two-point outing in 25 minutes in a 62-60 win over Cincinnati last Tuesday.
In 31 minutes against the Jayhawks, however, Lorient posted 18 points, six assists and two rebounds. He was 2 of 4 on 3-point attempts and kept the Mountaineers’ offense moving with crisp passes and only one turnover.
“Brenen is important because of his ability to be a secondary facilitator at the combo-forward position,” West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. “And he had a defensive presence inside.”
Another force inside was Harlan Obioha, who racked up a double-double. The senior 7-footer poured in 11 points and 10 rebounds. He also had two blocks and keyed the West Virginia defensive calls. The Mountaineers’ comeback win featured a 16-0 run in the second half. The Mountaineers allowed 30 points in the paint in the first half but only six after halftime.
“Harlan made his presence felt inside,” Hodge said. “He finished inside on offense and used his voice on defense to help us navigate their ball screens.”
If there’s a team that wants to exert itself inside, it’s No. 7 Houston (15-1, 3-0). In a 77-55 road win over Baylor on Saturday, Houston held a 45-34 edge on the glass. The Cougars piled up a 19-10 advantage on second-chance points and a 26-16 edge on points scored in the paint.
“Part of how we win is to pound the boards,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We focus on second shots and not turning the ball over. By doing that, you usually get more shot attempts.”
Emanuel Sharp led Houston with 17 points. Joseph Tugler and Isiah Harwell each added 12 points. Harwell, a freshman guard from Idaho, tied his career high with 24 minutes played and also tied his best mark with four 3-pointers made. His 12 treys attempted and two blocks set new career highs. Harwell averages 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
“I’ve learned to always push through things,” Harwell said. “There are always going to be bumps in the road, but that is where you have good people around you that push you to get better every day.”
Chris Cenac Jr. added 11 points and connected on 3 of 3 shot attempts from beyond the arc. When asked about Cenac being dialed in from 3-point range, Sampson quipped about the shooting consistency of his 6-foot-11 freshman big man.
“He’s the pure definition of a streaky shooter,” Sampson said. “I don’t get carried away on the nights he doesn’t make it or the nights when he does make it. I don’t get carried away with stuff, throw parades or say the rosary.”
