BY JEREMY CURTIS
For the Tribune
Kentucky used a 38-17 second half surge to beat West Virginia, 54-43, Saturday night, in the Las Vegas Invitational championship game.
Jodie Meeks led Kentucky (4-2) with 19 points, three rebounds and asteal. He was named the tournament MVP.
The Mountaineers (4-1) led 26-16 at halftime, holding the Wildcats to five of 19 shooting, from the field.
In the second half, however, it was WVU’s turn to shoot poorly and UK found their rhythm. The Mountaineers shot just 26 percent from the field in the half and the Wildcats shot 50 percent. WVU finished the game 15-49 from the floor, 3-18 from three-point range and 10-17 from the free-throw line.
A key swing came for Kentucky with 4:15 to go in the game, when forward Patrick Patterson, a Huntington native, made a two-point basket, was fouled and hit a free-throw. His three-point play gave the Wildcats a 46-41 lead and Kentucky was in the midst of a 17-7 scoring run.
Patterson finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, one assist and one block.
Two minutes later, Wildcat guard DeAndre Liggins forced up a three-pointer with two seconds remaining on the shot clock, WVU’s Da’Sean Butler and UK’s Darius Miller fought for the rebound, the ball squirted out and rolled on the floor to Meeks. Meeks dribbled the ball near mid-court and drew a blocking foul on WVU guard Joe Mazzulla, who fouled out of the game, scoring four points. Meeks made both free-throw attempts and extended UK’s lead to 48-42, with 2:10 to go in the game.
The UK possession used up 48 seconds on the game clock.
The Mountaineers scored just one more point in the final two minutes from a free throw made by guard Darryl Bryant.
Kentucky ended the game on a 13-2 scoring run.
The Wildcats made 23 of 25 free-throws, out-rebounded WVU, 36-26, but had 23 turnovers, to WVU’s 16 turnovers.
WVU guard Alex Ruoff scored 10 points in the loss, but was 1-10 from three-point range. Butler scored seven points and had nine rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block.
Kentucky beat Delaware State, Longwood and Kansas State, leading into the championship game.
WVU defeated Longwood, Delaware State and Iowa to get to the championship game.
John Flowers, a backup forward for WVU, led the Mountaineers with 14 points, in the semifinal game, a 87-68 win over Iowa.
Six Mountaineer players scored in double figures against the Hawkeyes.
Mazzulla and Ruoff each had 13 points, Butler scored 12 points and Wellington Smith and Bryant each scored 10 points. The Mountaineers shot 55 percent from both the field and from three-point range, against Iowa.
WVU plays next at Mississippi (5-1), Wednesday, at 9 p.m.
