The West Virginia men’s basketball team did not disappoint on Sunday, and for that matter, neither did Mountaineer Nation.

With a visit from No. 8 Purdue on the plate, the Mountaineers (12-4) upset the Boilermakers, 68-64, behind the support of a raucous crowd that rushed the court after the final buzzer.

“It was a great crowd,” said forward Kevin Jones. “They enjoyed the win with us by rushing the court, and that just shows why we play our heart out for the state of West Virginia.”

The contest did not start off as planned for the Mountaineers, as they committed three early turnovers, which contributed to a quick 5-0 lead for the Boilermakers.

Jones got WVU’s offense started, as he nailed a three that was followed by a Deniz Kilicli layup to tie the game.

Back-and-forth action in the game continued until midway through the first half when the Mountaineers took their first lead of the game.

Point guard Truck Bryant led the break and sunk a 3-pointer at the 12-minute mark that ignited the crowd of 14,173.

“Our fan base is like our sixth man,” said point guard Truck Bryant. “They help us in so many ways, and when they enter the game, that just pumps us up.”

Bryant, who had eight first half points along with two assists, sustained his fine play at the end of the half, as he hit a running jumper to put WVU on top, 29-28, to close out the opening stanza of play.

The fact that the Mountaineers were even in the game at the half was surprising as evidenced by their first half turnovers.

“We had 13 turnovers in the first half, and that is just not like us,” Bryant said. “It wasn’t just one of us turning the ball over. We did a terrible job of taking care of the ball.”

Coming out of the locker room, WVU stretched its lead to four with a layup by forward John Flowers.

The lead was short-lived though, as the Boilermakers went on an 8-0 run that was fueled by questionable offensive shot selection by the Mountaineers.

With WVU’s will being tested against the eighth-ranked team in the country, the home team did not back down.

“We had been through so many situations like that,” Bryant said. “It is just second nature to us, because we know that we are able to come back.”

The Mountaineers fought and clawed their way back for the majority of the half before Flowers and Jones sent the home crowd into a frenzy again.

The duo hit consecutive 3-point baskets with 6:26 remaining to give WVU a two-point lead, 52-50.

The Mountaineers continued their strong play that sent them on a 12-2 run that was capped by another Flowers 3-pointer.

“John Flowers hit at least three huge shots,” said head coach Bob Huggins. “You could point to a lot of guys that made huge plays for us.”

Purdue would go on to cut the deficit to two points, but WVU iced the game away with a sound defensive effort and clutch free-throw shooting.

Forward JuJuan Johnson led the Boilermakers (15-3) with 26 points, while Jones was the high scorer for the Mountaineers at 17 points.