West Virginia upset by Marquette in Charleston Classic semifinal

West Virginia (3-1) saw a twelve point disappear in front of their eyes, as the Marquette Golden Eagles (5-0) caught fire in the second half to down the Mountaineers by a score of 82-71 in the Shriner’s Children’s Charleston Classic semifinal.

The Mountaineers fell behind early, as Marquette raced out to a six point lead in just over five minutes of game time, but the Golden Eagles’ lead would not last for long. West Virginia put together a 6-0 run to tie the game at 14-14 at the second media timeout. WVU pushed on to reclaim the lead and extended it to nine points with 8:49 remaining in the half.

Taz Sherman accounted for 14 points in the first half, leading the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 47-35 lead.

The Mountaineers held the lead through the first four minutes of the second half, before Marquette’s Tyler Kolek knocked down three three-pointers in the midst of a 13-0 run by the Golden Eagles to reclaim a one point lead.

West Virginia’s struggles continued as Marquette shot 67% from the field, allowing the Golden Eagles to steadily grow their lead. WVU managed to close the lead to five points, 76-71, with just over a minute remaining in the game, but that’s as close as the Mountaineers would get.

Sherman led the Mountaineers with 21 points, 5 assists. Sean McNeil finished with 12 points, while Jalen Bridges added 11 points, 6 rebounds. Kedrian Johnson finished with 6 points.

West Virginia will play a consolation game against the Clemson Tigers on Sunday. That game will tip-off at 5:00PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2.