Darryl Bryant netted eight of his 17 points down the stretch and Kevin Jones had a team-high 20 as host West Virginia withstood visiting Oral Roberts 78-71 on Friday in the teams' opener.

Guiding a squad that includes seven freshmen, the Mountaineers' two seniors stepped up. Jones had 12 of his points during a first half in which Bryant was limited to six minutes and four points because of foul trouble.

But Bryant came through when West Virginia needed its biggest lift, scoring the team's final eight points including going 6-for-6 at the foul line.

The Mountaineers grabbed a 39-35 halftime lead and pushed the margin to 14 midway through the second half. But Summit League favorite Oral Roberts chipped away and pulled to within 72-71 on Warren Niles' 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining.

West Virginia improved to 94-9 all-time in home openers, and won its 36th straight home game against non-conference competition.

Dominique Morrison had a game-high 21 points and Michael Craion added 18 for the Golden Eagles.

The victory was No. 692 for Bob Huggins, who began his 30th coaching season and fifth at West Virginia. He had solid efforts from freshmen Aaron Brown (10 points), Gary Browne and Jabarie Hinds (nine points apiece).