Finley Bizjack scored 15 points with six rebounds as West Virginia pulled away in the second half to defeat Mercer 75-61 on Thursday night in Morgantown, W.Va.
Miles Sadler added 12 points and six assists for West Virginia (3-0), while Javan Buchanan scored 12 off the bench. Brenen Lorient matched his career high with three steals.
Mercer trailed the entire first half but tied it at 26 on a Quinton Perkins II jumper with 3:27 to go before intermission. The basket capped off a 9-0 Mercer run that spanned three minutes.
Bizjack broke a 28-28 tie with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half, giving West Virginia a 31-28 lead. The Mountaineers had managed only two points over the previous six-plus minutes.
Mercer committed 10 first-half turnovers and went 2-for-15 from 3-point range. Brady Shoulders made both 3-pointers.
West Virginia held Mercer to five points over the first six minutes of the second half to build a 12-point lead. After Shane Cherry hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to nine with 12:52 remaining, the Mountaineers responded with a 9-0 run over three minutes to extend their lead to 18.
Cherry scored a game-high 20 points off the bench for Mercer (2-3). Karon Boyd contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals but committed a career-high six turnovers.
West Virginia held Mercer to season lows of 61 points and 36% shooting from the field.
Mercer will conclude its five-game road trip Wednesday at Presbyterian. West Virginia will face Auburn on Tuesday in Las Vegas in the Players Era 8 tournament.
–Field Level Media
