Javon Small, Toby Okani help West Virginia men beat Mercyhurst

Associated Press | Sunday, December 22, 2024 7:31 p.m.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Javon Small scored 19, Toby Okani added a double-double and West Virginia breezed to a 67-46 victory over Mercyhurst on Sunday.

Small made 6 of 14 shots with a 3-pointer and 6 of 7 free throws for the Mountaineers (9-2), who upped their win streak to five while improving to 7-0 at home. He added seven assists. Okani finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double this season.

Eduardo Andre came off the bench to score 14 on 6-for-6 shooting for West Virginia.

Aidan Reichert scored 14 to lead the Lakers (6-9), who fell to 2-8 on the road. Mercyhurst shot just 28.3% from the floor (15 for 53).

Small had 12 points by halftime, and Andre scored nine as West Virginia took a 35-22 lead.

Reichert hit a jumper and a 3-pointer in an 8-0 run as Mercyhurst closed within 38-30 with 14 minutes, 46 seconds left to play. Small answered with five points in a 10-0 run for West Virginia, and the Mountaineers weren’t threatened over the final 10-plus minutes.

Jonathan Powell buried a 3-pointer with 4:26 remaining to give West Virginia its largest lead at 63-35.

The Mountaineers are idle until New Year’s Eve when they play at No. 8 Kansas in a Big 12 matchup. Mercyhurst is off until Jan. 3 against Stonehill.