West Virginia opens Shriners Classic by downing Elon
Bob Huggins recorded his 903rd career Division I victory and West Virginia improved to 3-0 to start the season with a 87-68 victory over Elon in Charleston, S.C.
Taz Sherman scored a game-high 27 points and Sean McNeil added 16 for the Mountaineers.
The matchup was a first-round game in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic. West Virginia will play Marquette on Friday night in the semifinals of the tournament.
The victory for Huggins in his 40th season pushed him ahead of Bob Knight and into a tie with former Kansas and North Carolina coach Roy Williams for fourth place on the Division I wins list.
Trademark suffocating defense set the tone for West Virginia on Thursday, holding Elon to 36.4 percent shooting from the field.
Guard Torrence Watson led the Phoenix with 15 points but was 3 of 13 from the field. Hunter McIntosh added 13, Darius Burford chipped in 12, and Hunter Woods and Zac Irvin contributed 11 apiece.
Sherman had a big night despite struggling again from 3-point range, going 1 of 5. He is shooting less than 20 percent from long distance this season.
Elon next faces Ole Miss in the consolation bracket on Friday.
The Mountaineers led 44-37 at halftime.
–Field Level Media