With the return of Taz Sherman to its lineup, West Virginia appears much more prepared for the road ahead as it begins an eight-game run to close out regular-season play in the Big 12.

The Mountaineers (14-9, 3-7 Big 12) travel to face Oklahoma State (11-12, 4-7) on Saturday afternoon in the second matchup between the teams this season.

In the previous meeting, West Virginia defeated the Cowboys 70-60 on Jan. 11 – a game that marked the Mountaineers’ last win before the start of a seven-game losing streak.

At home in that one, West Virginia’s Jalen Bridges tallied a game-high 22 points – sinking all 10 of his free throws – as the Mountaineers built an insurmountable 11-point first-half lead.

That halftime advantage was the same West Virginia owned over Iowa State on Tuesday, in a 79-63 victory that ended the seven-game losing streak.

Getting the 6-foot-4 Sherman back on court, after a game away while in concussion protocol, made an immediate impact. The Missouri City, Texas, native notched 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in the streak-snapper.

Sherman paces West Virginia with 18.7 points per game, a team-leading 45 3-pointers in 122 attempts (36.9 percent) and 57 assists.

“I knew I was going to have to come back with a strong game to help us get off this losing skid, and I think we played hard today,” Sherman said.

For the Cowboys, their 77-73 loss at TCU on Tuesday resulted from poor defense, although standout Isaac Likekely did all he could to avoid defeat.

The 6-foot-5 standout from Arlington, Texas, scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and added six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

But TCU made 18 of 23 free throws (78.3 percent) while Oklahoma State made just half of its 10 attempts. The Horned Frogs also won the rebounding battle 37-24.

“It’s a long list,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said of the deficiencies. “We’re not guarding the ball very well, we’re out of position away from the ball and then we’re not rebounding it.”

The Mountaineers lead 11-10 in the all-time series, including six wins in the past seven road contests.

–Field Level Media