MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Lamont West joked that No. 18 West Virginia had to "unpack" the pack line defense of No. 15 Virginia. His 22 points, capped by two tiebreaking baskets late in the game, did just that as the Mountaineers pulled out a 68-61 win Tuesday night.

"We definitely needed this one," West said. "They were the higher-ranked team, and I feel like if we do what the coaches tell us to do we can beat anybody in the country."

Jevon Carter scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds and seven assists for West Virginia (8-1), which was throttled by Texas A&M in its only previous game against a ranked team.

"Now we know how to win a big game," he said.

Devon Hall finished with 19 points and six assists for Virginia (8-1), which stayed close thanks to Kyle Guy scoring all 18 of his points during a second-half outburst.

Guy started 0 of 6 from the floor and went scoreless until 13:53 remained in the game before making three consecutive 3-pointers in a 64-second span to put the Cavaliers ahead 41-39.

"Kyle's always a shot away from getting it going," said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. "He maybe had a couple rushed shots in the first half, but he had some real clean looks in the second half."

While the Cavaliers committed 14 turnovers -- still shy of the number West Virginia is accustomed to forcing -- two by point guard Ty Jerome in the final 1:28 were costly. With his team down by a bucket, he was called for traveling in a corner trap, and on the next possession he tried to find Guy for a 3 but had his pass intercepted by Daxter Miles Jr.

Miles scored 12 points as West Virginia's big three provided 57 of the team's 68 points.

The Mountaineers shot 42 percent overall and made 10 of their 25 attempts from 3-point range.

Virginia shot 41.3 percent from the floor, including 9 of 23 from deep, but made only one basket over the final 4:50.

"We played well enough to have a chance but not well enough to come away with a win in this setting against that kind of intensity and pressure," Bennett said.

West more than doubled his scoring average and came within a point of his career high. His timing was clutch, too, with a 3-pointer that put West Virginia ahead 54-51 and a midrange jumper that broke a 56-all tie.

"He had a (heck) of a game," Miles said. "We're going to need him to play like that and hit shots."

After several seasons of struggling at the foul line, the Mountaineers might have turned a corner. They hit 16 of 18 after entering the game at 74 percent.

West Virginia, after leading for more than 17 minutes in the opening half, settled for a 29-26 lead at the break. Hall hit a 3-pointer and De'Andre Hunter made two free throws after being fouled on a scramble with 0.7 seconds left.

NOTES: West Virginia averaged 93 points during its previous seven wins. ... In a pregame ceremony, the Mountaineers recognized G Jevon Carter for becoming the school's career steals leader. ... West Virginia took a 10-9 lead in the all-time series. Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett appreciated the rowdy environment at the WVU Coliseum, but said "I wasn't quite ready for the gunshot" from the Mountaineer mascot's musket. "That surprised me. I was talking to the guys and 'Boom!' there it goes."