William & Mary Tribe at West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia beats William & Mary 82-45

Freshman Nathan Adrian added a season-high 16 points, Juwan Staten added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Eron Harris scored 10 for West Virginia.

West Virginia (8-5) opened a 21-point lead late in the first half and extended that lead to as many as 40 points in the second half.

The Mountaineers shot 49 percent (30 of 61) from the floor in their final nonconference game before starting Big 12 play at TCU on Jan. 4.

Tim Rusthoven led William & Mary (6-5) in scoring with 13 points.

Both teams were coming off layoffs of at least a week and met for the first time in 31 years.

William & Mary was looking for its highest-profile win of the season but ended up with its worst shooting performance and lowest point production. The Tribe were held to 26 percent shooting (14 of 55).

West Virginia led 41-24 at halftime and held William & Mary scoreless over nearly five minutes to start the second half.

Henderson scored six of West Virginia's first eight points after halftime, and Adrian was brilliant over a 4-minute stretch that included 14 points and four 3-pointers.

Gary Browne's layup capped a 19-6 run that extended the Mountaineers' lead to 72-36 with 7:43 left.

West Virginia's Brandon Watkins earned his first start of the season. The last time the Mountaineers played in Charleston on Dec. 14, Watkins had 12 points and 11 rebounds against Marshall.

But Watkins went to the bench 3 minutes into the game after allowing Rusthoven to score three inside baskets that put William & Mary out front 6-2. Rusthoven wasn't much of a factor after that and William & Mary went more than seven minutes until its next field goal.

Remi Dibo came off the bench to hit a pair of 3-pointers, and West Virginia used a mix of long shots and fast-break points during a 15-0 run to seize a 23-8 lead midway through the first half.

The Mountaineers extended the lead to 37-16 on two free throws by Staten with 2:40 left before William & Mary scored 8 of the final 12 points of the half.

But the Tribe had too many scoring droughts and leading scorer Marcus Thornton was held to a season-low nine points.

How can I watch William & Mary vs. West Virginia?

• TV Channel: William & Mary at West Virginia 2021 College Basketball, week 8, is broadcasted on ROOT.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.