College Basketball: WVU Tech men dump Bluefield (VA) for Acord's first win as head coach

Five players score in double figures to lead the Golden Bears to a 96-81 win over the Rams

Corey Acord had spent numerous games on the bench as an assistant coach for WVU Tech men's basketball.

Saturday night, however, the scene was a little different.

Instead of working as an assistant, Acord was now sitting in the hot seat as the head coach.

The first year head man did not have to wait long to get his first win.

Led by five players in double figures, WVU Tech knocked off Bluefield (VA), 96-81 inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

Win number one was not exactly easy.

The Golden Bears entered the clash with numerous questions and challenges.

Three top players were no longer in a Golden Bear uniform and the Rams were somewhat of a mystery with a new head coach and new players.

WVU Tech adapted quickly, however, taking its first lead at 6-4 with 16:56 to play in the opening half and never trailing the rest of the way.

The initial separation started with Tech up 17-14.

Former Shady Spring all-stater Cole Chapman and South Charleston all-stater Roman Kellum drilled back-to-back 3-balls to ignite the run which grew to as much as 17 on a layup from Liam Craven.

The 12-point halftime margin held by the Golden Bears was twice cut to six points in the first five minutes of the second half, but the home team never wilted.

A triple from freshman Trayten Woods pushed the lead back to 14 points with 13:06 to play.

Bluefield refused to go away and fought back to within four points with just under nine minutes to play on a 3-pointer from Elijah White.

Once again, WVU Tech stood its ground and went on a 15-2 run to regain its double-digit lead.

In the middle of the explosion was Woods who knocked down three long balls. The Hazard, KY native ended the night with 17 points including 5-for-6 from deep.

Ian Goings led the Golden Bears with 22 points followed by Jackson Tackett with 17. Tackett also had eight rebounds and five assists on the night.

Chapman added 12 points to go along with nine assists and five rebounds. Brandon Moore also scored 12 points and had five assists. Both players had four steals.

WVU Tech shot 58 percent for the game and 52 percent from behind the arc.

The Golden Bears will host the University of Pikeville Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

Acord talked about the opening night win.