CLEVELAND — Miles McBride scored six of his season-high 21 points in the final 2 minutes, 22 seconds, and No. 22 West Virginia rallied to beat No. 2 Ohio State, 67-59, on Sunday.
The Mountaineers (11-1) trailed by nine late in the first half but went ahead for good at 55-54 on a push-shot by Derek Culver with 3:31 left. McBride, a freshman guard, followed with two free throws and an 18-foot jump shot to extend the lead to 59-54.
Kaleb Wesson’s 3-pointer pulled the Buckeyes (11-2) within 61-57 with 51 seconds remaining, but they missed two shots on their next possession. Ohio State was held to a season low in points and committed season highs of 22 turnovers and 25 fouls.
West Virginia put the game away on two free throws by Jordan McCabe and a steal and score by Chase Harler to take its largest lead at 65-57. Harler scored 10 points, and Culver finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.
Wesson had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Buckeyes, who have split their last four games. Kyle Young grabbed 11 rebounds, and Duane Washington Jr. had 12 points.
Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins is 3-0 against Ohio State since taking over the program in 2007 and recorded his 19th win over a top-10 team with West Virginia.
The matchup drew a near-capacity crowd of 16,781 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. It was the first college game in the arena since its two-year renovation was completed in September.
The Mountaineers moved up three spots in the AP poll after a 75-64 victory at Youngstown State on Dec. 21. They started the season 10-1 for the fifth time in six years, dropping a 70-68 decision against St. John’s on Dec. 7 in New York.
The Buckeyes won their first nine games before losing 84-71 at Minnesota on Dec. 15. They began the season ranked No. 18 and have been in the top 10 since Nov. 18. Ohio State has only played two true road games.
West Virginia visits Kansas in Big 12 action Saturday.
