It is not often at the Mountain East Conference level that a team can feature a post player the size of West Virginia Wesleyan's Tanner McGrew, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound senior who entered Saturday's game at West Virginia State as Division II's rebounding leader.
The Bobcats took advantage of that size against the Yellow Jackets all that they could. McGrew scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and WVSU couldn't respond, falling 76-58 at the Walker Convocation Center.
"He's just a handful," State coach Bryan Poore said of McGrew.
The Yellow Jackets (6-17, 4-14 MEC) were able to slow him down in the second half, but by then the damage had been done and State was staring at deficits as high as 22 points.
McGrew's bulk made it nearly impossible for the Yellow Jackets to disrupt him down low. The heaviest State player on the roster, 6-6, 230-pound swingman Markee Mazyck, gave up 20 pounds to him. Sophomore post player Cody Morris, who spent much of the game defending McGrew, stands 6-7 and 225 pounds.
Poore said McGrew's skill at positioning himself makes him very tough to defend.
"He's scoring before he ever gets the ball, because he's got the defender out of position most of the time," Poore said. "He's not making a great post move with the ball, he's making a great move before he even gets the ball, just by positioning."
The Wesleyan senior got to the hoop often, shooting 13 for 20 from the floor for the game. He led a 14-2 Bobcats run to start the contest, scoring eight points in that streak. The Yellow Jackets went on a run of their own to get back into striking distance, outscoring the Bobcats 10-2 over a 3:22 span to cut the lead to 16-12.
But WVWC scored a quick five points after that - a McGrew tip-in and a Mo Berchie 3-pointer - to stake a 21-12 lead. Wesleyan went into halftime with its largest lead of the game to that point 47-27. McGrew scored his 23 first-half points on 11-of-15 shooting.
Poore said the Yellow Jackets switched to a zone defense and fronted McGrew in the second half, which held down both McGrew and the Bobcats' scoring. McGrew made 2 of 5 second-half shots and Wesleyan scored just 29 second-half points.
Yet the Yellow Jackets could get no closer than 15 points in the second half. Wesleyan (14-10, 9-9), which scored just 34 points Thursday in a loss at the University of Charleston, was able to make baskets even as the shot-clock buzzer sounded. The Bobcats made 30 of 59 from the floor (50.8 percent), compared to WVSU's 22 of 62 (35.5 percent).
"That's why we play at the speed we play," WVWC coach Gary Nottingham said, "because you've got to go inside-out. It makes your perimeter people better shooters, and [McGrew] is a pretty good passer and he kicks the ball out. It's old-school basketball with the use of the 3-point line."
McGrew, whose 12.3 rebounds per game is best in the nation, pulled down 14 on Saturday. Mazyck - honored on senior day along with Ron Whaley - led State with 17 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Frank Webb scored 15 points with four rebounds and four assists.
The Yellow Jackets, who have lost three straight and eight of their last nine, now must spend some time without freshman point guard Brent Bauer, who injured his ankle in Thursday's loss to Glenville State. Poore said there was no timetable for Bauer's return.
Poore said that, through State's struggles, his message to the team at halftime and after Saturday's game was to keep fighting.
"You can't put your head down and you can't have negative body language and you've got to fight through it," Poore said. "Nobody's going to feel sorry for you, so you better not feel sorry for yourself."