Seems weird to break down one play from a game that was decided by 21 points and over well before it was indeed over, but Baylor tried its best not to be blown out Tuesday night. An 11-point lead was down to just five, and Bob Huggins used his now-or-never timeout to end the first half and, honestly, secure two important points.

Huggins really likes to use that timeout in the final minute of the half. It’s a habit, so long as he hasn’t used one before then. If he hasn’t, he either uses it there or he loses it. So he called for it with 19.2 seconds to go. He took Tarik Phillip, Sagaba Konate and Magic Bender off the floor and put Lamont West, James Long and Beetle Bolden into the game with Jevon Carter and Nate Adrian.

“I’ve been thinking about doing it,” Huggins said. “James Long and Beetle shoot the ball so well, and what I hoped was it would keep everyone spread.”

WVU stacked four players to inbound to Adrian, and Carter came back for the ball. Long went to the left corner and Bolden headed to the right, which is where they like to work, and the Bears had to cover. That meant the Bears had to extend. The Mountaineers expected a zone on the inbound, which is ordinary.

Bolden and Long were primarily decoys. Huggins set up a 3-on-2 at the top against the 1-1-3 zone. The wing defenders had to extend to honor Long and Bolden. The defender in the middle had to remain near the middle.

Carter dribbled up top, and West and Adrian wandered over, presumably to ball screen and give Carter access to the paint. Drive or drive-and-dish? So he uses West as a screen, and Baylor reacts, but the design is for West to release and for Adrian to then screen for West. Carter is the supposed to hit West for an open 3.

You’ll remember this as a staple from the John Beilein days: Screen the Screener.

It’s a WVU staple, too, especially for West, and the Bears knew it. They were ready and covered it, and Manu Lecomte works to get around Adrian’s screen and deny the pass to West. Jake Lindsey pressures Carter to take away the drive. That’s good defense, but here comes better offense.

“Nate was wide-open,” Huggins said. “Just outstanding coaching.”

Remember, it’s 3-on-2. Carter and Adrian don’t blink, and Adrian shrewdly steps forward into open space. Carter hits Adrian, and Adrian, who drew the middle defender, Motley, and could have passed to a wide-open Long, steps into a familiar jumper.

“It’s a play we run for Lamont, but they scouted us and knew it was coming,” Adrian said. “I knew to slip it, and it worked out for us.”

That stung. Baylor tried and succeeded to get back into the game, but it was the Mountaineers, who really needed something good to happen following a bumpy stretch, who sauntered into halftime. The lead was 39-32, and though it didn’t seem Separate Blog Post Important at the time, remember Baylor got the ball and scored to start the second half. Could have been a three-point game. It was never closer than five points.

“I was thinking just how smart of a move that was,” Huggins said.