Casey Mitchell scored 25 points to lead West Virginia to an 82-66 win over Virginia Military Institute on Saturday night.
Kevin Jones added 22 points for the Mountaineers (4-1), who were playing for the first time since losing to Minnesota on Nov. 21 in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament.
West Virginia starting guard Truck Bryant and backup forward Dan Jennings didn't dress for the game. Coach Bob Huggins termed it a disciplinary move for their lack of effort in practice.
Keith Gabriel and freshman Rodney Glasgow had 18 points apiece for VMI (5-1). Stan Okoye, VMI's leading scorer averaging 22 points per game, was limited to six points.
West Virginia led 38-30 at halftime and pulled away with the help of an 18-6 run over the final seven minutes.
