The first half of the first half was the sort of thing Bob Huggins did not want to see Monday night. West Virginia was interchangeably overanxious and underwhelming. Players were running and jumping and getting out of position on defense but also shuffling and scuffling on offense.

Quizzical Eastern Kentucky was playing without its star and actually looked a threat with a 14-10 lead at the under-12 timeout.

Then two things happened:

1. A 12-0 run.
2. Jaysean Paige

The former put WVU back in front. The latter erupted for 15 points in a decisive 21-0 run. It was never in doubt after that, and you got very good look at the sixth man who’s eighth on the team in minutes per game is fourth in scoring with 10.7 points per game.

Paige, who didn’t score in the first run, made a layup, a free throw and four 3-pointers in the second run. He had 17 points in the first half, which was two shy of the career high he set against Stetson this season. He played just six scoreless minutes after halftime and was 0 for 1 from the floor.

“I’d like for him to drive it more,” Huggins said. “He’s far and away our best straight-line driver — far and away. I’d like for him to put more pressure on the rim.”

Paige shot 6 for 12 from the floor and 4 for 7 from 3-point range. Indicative of the season he’s having, his overall shooting percentage actually dropped to 52.9 percent while his 3-point percentage went up to 44.4 percent.

Now typically the first player off the bench for the Mountaineers, Paige scored 16 and 14 points in successive games before finishing with seven in last week’s win against Marshall. Monday was the second time he’s led the team in scoring this season and the first time in a win. He had a team-high 16 points earlier this month against Virginia.

“I’m just taking good shots, not rushing them and letting the hard work pay off with the time in the gym — nighttime, daytime, whatever,” Paige said. “I’m putting it all together and knocking the shots down.”

Huggins likes Paige. That much is obvious. But he’s starting to like his bench a lot, too, and he makes a comment to that effect, veiled as it may be, when he talks about substitution patterns and the five-for-five subbing he wants to avoid. But Paige and Tarik Phillip own property in the paint. Elijah Macon is capable of a serviceable Devin Williams impression. Nate Adrian, if nothing else, tries.

Williams is the guy on this team, but I’m not sure who’s been more consistent than Paige when it comes to energy, productivity and coachability, and I’m very sure he’s the player who has to not only sustain this, but heighten this as the schedule stiffens.

The opposition is for real the rest of the way, and it begins after a lengthy break, which is the sort of scenario that oftentimes begs for a player to rescue his teammates or to present an example to emulate in order to escape from the inevitable slog.