Culver leads No. 15 West Virginia past Western Kentucky
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Derek Culver scored 15 points and No. 15 West Virginia rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat Western Kentucky 70-64 on Friday and win the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.
Culver was named MVP of the tournament. Miles McBride had 14 points and Taz Sherman scored 12 for the Mountaineers (3-0).
Taveion Hollingsworth had 13 points to lead Western Kentucky (2-1).
The Hilltoppers led 45-35 with 15:37 remaining and 50-41 with 14 minutes left before West Virginia went on a 24-5 run. Sam McNeil's 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining gave the Mountaineers a 64-55 lead, their largest of the game.
WKU cut the deficit to four points on Charles Bassey's layup with 59 seconds left but got no closer.
BIG PICTURE
West Virginia was once again dominant on the glass. The Mountaineers won the rebounding battle 36-30, including 11 offensive boards. Over the three-day tournament, West Virginia outrebounded its opponents 126-103, including a 51-38 edge on the offensive end.
UP NEXT
Western Kentucky: At Louisville on Tuesday.
West Virginia: Plays No. 1 Gonzaga at the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis on Wednesday.