West Virginia Falls Short in Birmingham

Birmingham, AL - The West Virginia Mountaineers (19-15) were knocked out of the first round of the NCAA tournament following a 67-65 loss to the Maryland Terrapins 

West Virginia forced six turnovers and held Maryland to four points in the first nine minutes of action for an early 16-4 advantage.

The Terrapins flipped the momentum, ended a nine-minute drought without a field goal and produced a 15-2 run to capture a 22-21 lead.

West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell ended the run with a pair of free throws followed with an offensive rebound from James Okonkwo allowed guard Kedrian Johnson to bury a three from the wing to cap off a 5-0 spurt and regain the WVU lead 26-22 with just under five minutes remaining in the half. 

Maryland answered with a quick four points to tie the game at 26 before taking a two-point edge into halftime 32-30. Kedrian led all scorers with 10 points at the break. 

The Terrapins opened the half with a 6-1 run, but Kedrian Johnson went on a 10-0 run with consecutive drives to the basket and the foul and capped it off with a three and the foul. Seth Wilson followed with a three and Johnson buried another for a 16-0 WVU and the Mountaineers regained a nine-point advantage, 47-38, at the 15:05 mark of the second half. 

Maryland guard Donald Carey ended the run with a three, sparking a 13-4 run and reclaimed the lead 53-52 just under the midway point of the second half. 

West Virginia guard Joe Toussaint reclaimed the Mountaineer lead on the ensuing possession with an offensive putback and the foul for the 54-52 lead.

The Mountaineers shot 1-7 from the field while a couple of trips to the line helped the Terrapins build a five-point lead with 1:36 remaining in the game. 

West Virginia got back within one with just over four seconds remaining in the game. Maryland guard Jahmir Young went 1-2 from the line as Kedrian Johnson ran the floor and lofted a three that was off the mark as the Terrapins held on for a 67-65 advantage. 

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