MORGANTOWN - There was a time in the not too distant past when the last thing Wellington Smith was expected to provide to West Virginia's basketball team was energy. It wasn't that he couldn't, he just seldom did.
MORGANTOWN - There was a time in the not too distant past when the last thing Wellington Smith was expected to provide to West Virginia's basketball team was energy. It wasn't that he couldn't, he just seldom did.
That's changed dramatically over the course of the past few weeks, though. Not only is Smith giving the Mountaineers energy, he's chipping in with points, rebounds and blocked shots to boot.
Saturday night was a perfect example. When Joe Alexander picked up two quick fouls, Smith came in and - despite his own eventual foul trouble - contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist and a steal in West Virginia's 80-53 win over Providence.
And it's not just by coincidence that Smith has emerged of late. Energy takes effort, and for the first time Smith is really making an effort.
"I want to be a guy who brings an intensity to games, and I didn't always do that,'' Smith said Saturday night. "Sometimes we lack that. I think we came out flat tonight. I got a couple of stops and we all picked up the intensity and that's the difference.''
Indeed, if this game lacked anything at the start it was both intensity and efficiency. A sloppily played first 10 minutes provided all of 25 points between the teams, along with fouls or turnovers on virtually every possession.
But once again, with West Virginia unable to shoot the ball consistently or handle it efficiently (2-of-9 on 3-pointers and 10 turnovers in the first half), Smith provided a spark.
It was enough to give the Mountaineers (19-8, 8-6 Big East) a much-needed win before embarking on three road trips in the final four games of the regular season with their NCAA tournament hopes hanging in the balance.
"His confidence level is real good right now,'' West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said of Smith, a 6-foot-7 sophomore who in the past four games, three of them wins, has blocked 14 shots and averaged 10 points and seven rebounds.
Smith didn't do it all by himself, of course. Between stints on the bench with his foul trouble, Alexander came through with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Alex Ruoff did everything well but shoot the ball and finished with 14 points, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Da'Sean Butler added 13 points.
The Mountaineers, after that bumbling first half, committed just three second-half turnovers and, after allowing Providence (13-14, 4-11) to close within 33-31 early in the second half, ran away with the game thanks to a 34-11 run over the bulk of the second half.
Despite the problems with handling the ball and shooting in the early stages, Huggins said he thought it was just the type of performance his team needed.
"From the beginning of the game to the end, I thought it was as intense as we've played all year,'' he said. "We didn't take many plays off.''
The Mountaineers ended up shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor (30-of-62), but that was misleading. Once again, 3-point shooting was off (6-of-19) and only because of 28 points in the paint and 27 fairly easy points off 21 Providence turnovers was the shooting respectable. West Virginia still isn't making outside shots.
"There's going to be a day when we make some shots. There's going to be a day like the Auburn game [back in early December] when every time Alex sets his feet and shoots it goes in,'' Huggins said. "We're guarding well enough that if we make shots we're capable of beating anybody.''
Now would be a good time to start shooting well. WVU plays at DePaul Wednesday night and at Connecticut next Saturday afternoon. After returning home for an ESPN Big Monday game against Pitt a week from Monday, the regular season ends against St. John's at Madison Square Garden.
"We need to win some games. We might need to win all of them,'' Smith said. "This team's goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament and we don't have any time to waste.''
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.
Providence (13-14, 4-11)
Player FG FT R A P
Geoff McDermott 3-8 2-3 9 2 9
Randall Hanke 4-6 0-0 3 0 8
Jeff Xavier 5-10 5-5 2 0 15
Weyinm Efejuku 1-6 3-4 5 1 5
Brian McKenzie 3-8 2-2 6 3 10
Alex Kellogg 0-4 0-0 3 0 0
Jamine Peterson 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Marshon Brooks 2-6 0-1 2 0 5
Chris Baudinet 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Jonathan Kale 0-1 1-2 0 0 1
Team 1
Totals 18-49 13-17 32 6 53
West Virginia (19-8, 8-6)
Player FG FT R A P
Da'Sean Butler 4-8 3-4 4 2 13
Joe Alexander 8-13 5-7 7 3 21
Jamie Smalligan 0-1 0-0 1 2 0
Darris Nichols 2-5 0-0 4 4 4
Alex Ruoff 6-14 0-0 3 3 14
Cam Thoroughman 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Josh Sowards 1-1 0-0 0 0 3
Will Thomas 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Joe Mazzulla 0-6 4-4 3 4 4
Jarrett Brown 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Ted Talkington 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
Wellington Smith 4-5 2-4 5 1 10
Jonnie West 2-3 0-0 1 0 4
John Flowers 3-4 0-2 1 0 4
Team 6
Totals 30-62 14-21 39 21 80
Halftime: WVU 33-27. 3-point goals: Providence 4-11 (McDermott 1-2, Xavier 0-3, Efejuku 0-1, McKenzie 2-4, Brooks 1-1); WVU 6-19 (Butler 2-4, Smalligan 0-1, Nichols 0-2, Ruoff 2-7, Sowards 1-1, Talkington 0-1, Smith 0-1, West 0-1, Flowers 1-1). Attendance: 11,319.
MORGANTOWN - There was a time in the not too distant past when the last thing Wellington Smith was expected to provide to West Virginia's basketball team was energy. It wasn't that he couldn't, he just seldom did.
That's changed dramatically over the course of the past few weeks, though. Not only is Smith giving the Mountaineers energy, he's chipping in with points, rebounds and blocked shots to boot.
Saturday night was a perfect example. When Joe Alexander picked up two quick fouls, Smith came in and - despite his own eventual foul trouble - contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist and a steal in West Virginia's 80-53 win over Providence.
And it's not just by coincidence that Smith has emerged of late. Energy takes effort, and for the first time Smith is really making an effort.
"I want to be a guy who brings an intensity to games, and I didn't always do that,'' Smith said Saturday night. "Sometimes we lack that. I think we came out flat tonight. I got a couple of stops and we all picked up the intensity and that's the difference.''
Indeed, if this game lacked anything at the start it was both intensity and efficiency. A sloppily played first 10 minutes provided all of 25 points between the teams, along with fouls or turnovers on virtually every possession.
But once again, with West Virginia unable to shoot the ball consistently or handle it efficiently (2-of-9 on 3-pointers and 10 turnovers in the first half), Smith provided a spark.
It was enough to give the Mountaineers (19-8, 8-6 Big East) a much-needed win before embarking on three road trips in the final four games of the regular season with their NCAA tournament hopes hanging in the balance.
"His confidence level is real good right now,'' West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said of Smith, a 6-foot-7 sophomore who in the past four games, three of them wins, has blocked 14 shots and averaged 10 points and seven rebounds.
Smith didn't do it all by himself, of course. Between stints on the bench with his foul trouble, Alexander came through with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Alex Ruoff did everything well but shoot the ball and finished with 14 points, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Da'Sean Butler added 13 points.
The Mountaineers, after that bumbling first half, committed just three second-half turnovers and, after allowing Providence (13-14, 4-11) to close within 33-31 early in the second half, ran away with the game thanks to a 34-11 run over the bulk of the second half.
Despite the problems with handling the ball and shooting in the early stages, Huggins said he thought it was just the type of performance his team needed.
"From the beginning of the game to the end, I thought it was as intense as we've played all year,'' he said. "We didn't take many plays off.''
The Mountaineers ended up shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor (30-of-62), but that was misleading. Once again, 3-point shooting was off (6-of-19) and only because of 28 points in the paint and 27 fairly easy points off 21 Providence turnovers was the shooting respectable. West Virginia still isn't making outside shots.
"There's going to be a day when we make some shots. There's going to be a day like the Auburn game [back in early December] when every time Alex sets his feet and shoots it goes in,'' Huggins said. "We're guarding well enough that if we make shots we're capable of beating anybody.''
Now would be a good time to start shooting well. WVU plays at DePaul Wednesday night and at Connecticut next Saturday afternoon. After returning home for an ESPN Big Monday game against Pitt a week from Monday, the regular season ends against St. John's at Madison Square Garden.
"We need to win some games. We might need to win all of them,'' Smith said. "This team's goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament and we don't have any time to waste.''
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.
Providence (13-14, 4-11)
Player FG FT R A P
Geoff McDermott 3-8 2-3 9 2 9
Randall Hanke 4-6 0-0 3 0 8
Jeff Xavier 5-10 5-5 2 0 15
Weyinm Efejuku 1-6 3-4 5 1 5
Brian McKenzie 3-8 2-2 6 3 10
Alex Kellogg 0-4 0-0 3 0 0
Jamine Peterson 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Marshon Brooks 2-6 0-1 2 0 5
Chris Baudinet 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Jonathan Kale 0-1 1-2 0 0 1
Team 1
Totals 18-49 13-17 32 6 53
West Virginia (19-8, 8-6)
Player FG FT R A P
Da'Sean Butler 4-8 3-4 4 2 13
Joe Alexander 8-13 5-7 7 3 21
Jamie Smalligan 0-1 0-0 1 2 0
Darris Nichols 2-5 0-0 4 4 4
Alex Ruoff 6-14 0-0 3 3 14
Cam Thoroughman 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Josh Sowards 1-1 0-0 0 0 3
Will Thomas 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Joe Mazzulla 0-6 4-4 3 4 4
Jarrett Brown 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Ted Talkington 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
Wellington Smith 4-5 2-4 5 1 10
Jonnie West 2-3 0-0 1 0 4
John Flowers 3-4 0-2 1 0 4
Team 6
Totals 30-62 14-21 39 21 80
Halftime: WVU 33-27. 3-point goals: Providence 4-11 (McDermott 1-2, Xavier 0-3, Efejuku 0-1, McKenzie 2-4, Brooks 1-1); WVU 6-19 (Butler 2-4, Smalligan 0-1, Nichols 0-2, Ruoff 2-7, Sowards 1-1, Talkington 0-1, Smith 0-1, West 0-1, Flowers 1-1). Attendance: 11,319.
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