After a sluggish first half, West Virginia came alive in the final 20 minutes to put away Elon College by a final of 92-47.
Igniting the second-half run was freshman point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant, who came off the bench to score 12 points and dish out six assists for the Mountaineers.
Bryant was 4-5 from the field, knocking down both of his three-point attempts in the process. In his first collegiate game, Bryant left a goose egg in the turnover column.
NET BURNERS
Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler led the Mountaineers with 19 points each. The veteran duo combined to hit 15 of 25 attempts from the field, essentially mirroring WVU's 59 percent shooting perfentage for the game.
Ruoff and Butler also led the Mountaineers with six steals apiece. Ruoff dished out four assists to complete the well-rounded effort.
West Virginia's defense smothered the Phoenix, particularly in the second half. WVU forced 24 Elon turnovers which led to 26 points for the Mountaineers. West Virginia also limited Elon to an ice-cold 21 percent from the floor in the second half.
The Mountaineers are now 1-0 for the 12th consecutive season. West Virginia has not lost a season-opening game since falling at Minnesota in 1997. The announced Coliseum crowd of 10,250 is just the second time the Mountaineers have drawn 10,000-plus for a November home game since the building opened in 1970 (2005, LSU).