2023-12-22 05:10:41
West Virginia’s RaeQuan Battle goes up for a shot during Wednesday’s game once morest Radford.
(Photo by Kevin Kinder/BlueGoldNews.com)
MORGANTOWN — All year, West Virginia had been trying to get RaeQuan Battle from being in court fighting the NCAA to being on court battling a Mountaineers opponent.
They had talked regarding what he would bring to a troubled, snakebitten team that seemed to lose one player following another.
Finally, following a false start once morest UMass where he came down sick and never played, the heralded transfer from Montana State made his WVU debut. It was a dream game that ended in nightmarish fashion as Radford’s Highlanders, coached by the former Mountaineer guard Darris Nichols, survived, 66-65, with Battle in the middle of everything.
He showed the ability Coach Josh Eilert had said he would show, debuting with 29 points and six rebounds in 31:30 on the court.
It didn’t necessarily surprise him, admitting that most players in such a situation are hoping to score 40 points.
He made nine baskets and 10 free throws, but a free throw he missed wound up being the key play in the game.
But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here. With 11 seconds left, Radford had a chance to tie the game, but Bryan Antoine missed the second of two free throws, leaving them down a point.
Battle snatched the rebound.
“Getting that rebound on their free throw when they missed felt comfortable … maybe too comfortable,” he said. “You live and you learn. I’ve been in that position multiple times and I’ve won games at the buzzer; down two and make three free throws to win.”
Radford quickly fouled Battle, and he went to the line for a 1-and-1 that might have given WVU a 3-point lead. No reason to think he wouldn’t make the free throws, being 10 of 12 at that point in the game, but he missed.
“I kind of feel like I rushed it,” he said. “My mom’s going to be mad regarding that for sure. I felt a little tired, but I got to knock that down for sure.”
Battle’s missed free throw was rebounded by Chandler Turner, who pushed it forward to Bryan Antoine, who got the ball into the hands of DaQuan Smith.
And out of the hands of Smith.
He let the ball get away, and it rolled on the floor toward the basket. As panic set in, players were converging on the ball from everywhere.
Smith somehow regained possession and, while entangled with others and himself, somehow tossed the ball up at the rim.
Not that he called swish, but the darnedest thing was, it went smoothly through the hoop.
“We just got to stay in front and it just rolled. I don’t know what that was. He just hit it. I guess good players make good shots,” Battle said.
WVU’s 65-64 lead became a 66-65 deficit. They checked the replay and set the clock to 1.6 seconds. WVU tried, taking the ball out under Radford’s basket Quinn Slazinski uncorked a long pass into the front court that Akok Akok was supposed to jump and get, but it ricocheted off his hands to Battle.
He threw up a shot that mightn’t even be termed a prayer, and it was over, WVU losing and falling to 4-7.
After all he’s been through, it was a tough way to end his first game back following missing 10.
“I was just relieved to be out there. It’s was a long summer, the longest of my life,” he said. “It’s good to be out there with the team and go to war.”
The crowd, which was far, far less than the announced 9,019, was behind him, just as they have been since he transferred to WVU.
“It’s been amazing. I felt like I had a whole army behind me. Ever since I touched down in Morgantown it’s been all love every since, especially now with the NCAA thing,” Battle said.
NOTES: Injured center Jesse Edwards underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a break in his right wrist that will keep him four weeks or longer … Noah Farrakhan, who was in the same situation as Battle and thought he would not play at all this year, had his second straight big game with 16 points … Once once more WVU was outrebounded 46 to 38 and Eilert says until they get that straightened out wins are going to be hard to come by … Quin Slazinski, the team’s leading scorer at 17.3 points a game, made only two of 10 shots and was 0 of 4 from 3-point range, finishing with 4 points.
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