Daxter Miles’ pulled hamstring kept him in Morgantown, Jaysean Paige’s sprained ankle kept him on the bench, and No. 10 West Virginia couldn’t keep its grip on first place in the Big 12.
As much as the Mountaineers missed two of their top three scorers Tuesday night, those absences loomed equally crucial on defense when No. 24 Texas claimed an 85-78 victory to sweep the season series.
The Longhorns (17-9, 8-5) surged ahead in the first half on seven 3-pointers before widening their lead to 75-59 with 3:42 left. A 10-0 run gave late life to West Virginia (20-6, 9-4) and Jonathan Holton’s 3-point play off a putback closed the gap to 77-72 in the final 38 seconds.