Darian DeVries Knows WVU Grinding Out Cincinnati Win Shows Mental Fortitude of Team
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – “Winning is hard. Winning is hard in any league, but especially in this league,” said WVU head coach Darian DeVries after his Mountaineers narrowly escaped their battle with Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
West Virginia won 62-59, but most fans thought the final score was going to be 62-53 before an improbable nine seconds took place at the end of the game. Cincinnati hit back-to-back three-pointers, causing DeVries to sweat before actually claiming the victory.
In fact, DeVries admitted he thought Tyler Betsey’s wide open look was going in. And once he realized the luck bounced his team’s way, DeVries still needed to recalibrate himself before being able to fully enjoy the win.
“Are we sure it’s over — let me double check. What a wild finish,” joked DeVries.
A game many labeled a must-win going in almost got away from West Virginia, but all that matters for WVU is that it didn’t. DeVries echoed that sentiment by even literally saying he’s not about to apologize for any win.
“I thought we came out the second half and we just couldn’t get going. I thought the guys did an unbelievable job. We made a couple changes defensively and I thought that was really good for us and the guys really executed it. They made things really tough there down the stretch,” explained DeVries about what caused the game to get away and how his team handled the adversity.
A mentally weak team would’ve let the game unravel even further and fell victim to a full collapse.
WVU’s hustle and drive was also evident by winning the rebounding battle 39-30 thanks to a collective effort, something DeVries has been preaching all season long. Javon Small, who finished with 16 points, even pitched in with three boards of his own. Amani Hansberry, WVU’s leading scorer in the game with 17, recorded a double-double by grabbing 13 rebounds.
“If we want to win, we all gotta rebound,” said Small.
And even though DeVries is far from satisfied with how his team played, especially since they almost blew a game they had to have, the fact WVU was able to hang on and grind out the win shows the mental fortitude of the group.
For related content, Darian DeVries and players spoke about the wild finish against Cincinnati.
