Kevin Jones poured in 25 points and Darryl Bryant added 22 as West Virginia avenged last year's defeat with a 78-62 triumph over in-state rival Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center on Wednesday.

Freshmen Gary Browne and Jabarie Hinds had 10 points apiece to complement the big scoring nights from the two Mountaineers' two seniors.

West Virginia (14-5) improved to 29-11 overall in the series and 18-5 at the neutral site.

DeAndre Kane scored 19 points and Damier Pitts chipped in 15 for the Thundering Herd (13-5), who jumped out to a 24-point lead in their 75-71 victory last year.

Wednesday's game was close for the first 20 minutes. The teams traded bursts toward the end of a first half that ended deadlocked at 30 following Bryant's 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Kane netted eight points during a 10-0 run that gave the Herd a 27-20 lead, but the Mountaineers responded with seven unanswered.

West Virginia began pulling away with a 10-0 spurt for a 46-37 edge nearly midway through the second half. A pair of free throws by Jones stretched it to as many as 17 at 74-57 toward the end.

Freshman Kevin Noreen started in place of Deniz Kilicli (11 points per game), who sat out with a sprained ankle, marking the Mountaineers' first change to the starting lineup this season. Noreen, who averages 2.4 points, tallied six.