MONTGOMERY, West Virginia - After a game featuring ten lead changes and tied scores, the WVU Tech men's basketball team pulled away late, topping No. 25 (NAIA DI) University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) 71-65 on Saturday. The win was head coach
Bob Williams' 300
th career win.
Williams (300-269) has been the head coach at Jefferson Community College (New York, 1995-1997), Glenville State College (West Virginia, 1997-2002) and WVU Tech (2002-present) over the past 20 seasons.
"When you are in it as long as I have been, you get milestone wins," stated Coach Williams who earned his first win at Jefferson vs. Clinton Community College (November 1, 1995), his 100
th in a Glenville vs. Ohio Valley College (December 1, 2001) match-up and number 200 on February 5, 2009 with a Tech win over Campbellsville University. "I've been fortunate enough to have had so many great kids, assistant coaches and teams at Jefferson, Glenville and Tech. This win is even more special because we beat a ranked team and our kids played hard."
Tech placed all five scoring players in double figures and moved to 9-3 this season while the Patriots now hold a record of 9-4. The Golden Bears were led by senior
Jaren Marino with 18 points who also dished a team-high four assists to go with two rebounds and steals. Senior
Jauries Thomas tallied a double-double in the victory, posting a game-high ten rebounds with his ten points.
Fellow senior
Leon Cooper, Jr. recorded 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal for Tech. Senior
Sharife Sergeant and junior
Eddie Gordon produced 13 points each while Sergeant had six boards and Gordon two assists and two rebounds.
The Golden Bears shot 46.8 percent from the field (22-of-47) and 80.0 percent (24-of-30) from the foul line. The Patriots finished 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) from the free throw line.
"It was a great team effort today against a very good team. We got some huge stops down the stretch in a grinder of a game. I'm proud of our guys and the toughness that they showed," boasted Coach Williams.
Tech will next participate in the Joe Manchin Classic hosted by Salem International University where they will face West Virginia University at Parkersburg and Bluefield State College December 12-13.
