Javon Small delivered 18 points and several key plays down the stretch as West Virginia topped its interim coach from last year, Josh Eilert, in a 71-69 victory over Utah on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Amani Hansberry contributed 12 points and six rebounds as the Mountaineers (18-12, 9-10 Big 12) enhanced their chances of gaining an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament after opening the day in the No. 48 spot in the NET ratings.
West Virginia got 12 points from Joseph Yesufu and 10 from Jonathan Powell, with each hitting a key 3-pointer in the final eight minutes.
The Mountaineers also got the best of Eilert, who coached them to a 9-23 record last year after the departure of coach Bob Huggins. Eilert moved into an interim job again last week when Utah fired Craig Smith.
The win also keeps West Virginia alive to finish in the top eight in the Big 12 and earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament next week.
Gabe Madsen scored 23 points and Mike Sharavjamts added all 12 of his points in the second half for the Utes (16-14, 8-11). Ezra Ausar scored nine of his 11 points at the free throw line for Utah.
West Virginia trailed by eight points in the second half before rallying. In the closing minutes, a seven-point run by the Mountaineers was decisive.
Small drained an NBA-length 3-pointer and followed with an alley-oop feed to Eduardo Andre for a slam dunk that put the Mountaineers up for good, 63-58, with 2:52 left.
Small also made a driving shot off glass with 37 seconds left that kept West Virginia in front, 68-64.
In their final home game this season, the Utes got off to a blistering start. They made their first four 3-point attempts, including three by Madsen as Utah roared to a 19-7 lead.
The Mountaineers answered with a 10-point run, capped by triples by Yesufu and Powell to make it 19-17.
West Virginia made six straight shots late in the first half, including 3-pointers by Small and Hansberry, to take a 30-29 lead at the break.
Early in the second half, 3-pointers by Jake Wahlin and Sharavjamts started and finished an 8-0 run that gave the Utes a 44-36 lead.
The Mountaineers responded behind Hansberry, who muscled for a three-point play and added a triple that put them up 54-52 with 6:55 left.
–Field Level Media
