Bizjack, Sadler and Buchanan lead West Virginia over Mercer, 75-61

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Finley Bizjack scored 15 points, Miles Sadler and Javan Buchanan added 12 apiece, and West Virginia pulled away early in the second half for a 75-61 victory over Mercer on Thursday night. West Virginia (3-0) opened the second half on a 12-3 run and had a double-digit lead for nearly the rest of the way. The Mountaineers shot 50% from the floor in the second half. Bizjack and Sadler combined for 13 points after the break. Buchanan scored 11 second-half points. Bizjack finished 4 of 12 from the floor that included two 3-pointers, and he made all five of his free-throw attempts. Sadler shot 4 of 11 from the field and Buchanan made 8 of 11 free throws. Shane Cherry scored 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting to lead Mercer (2-3). Karon Boyd scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Bears. Mercer used an 11-2 surge late in the first half to tie it 28-all before Bizjack hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give West Virginia a 31-28 halftime lead. The Mountaineers shot 10 of 32 and 4 of 18 from distance. Mercer was 9-of-28 shooting but made all eight of its free-throw attempts before the break. It was the first meeting between the teams. Nonprofit local news isn't free! It takes reporters, editors, and resources to do this work right. Your donation keeps that work alive. MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY Up next Mercer: at Presbyterian on Wednesday. West Virginia: plays Auburn in the Players Era 8 in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here Donate now to support local nonprofit news in Lancaster County Newsletter Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Sports Our daily sports newsletter, delivered at 6 a.m. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up By opting into newsletters you are agreeing to our privacy policy . What to Read Next