Bob HugginsWest Virginia coach OK after scare along the bench Monday night.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Bob Huggins fell to his knees and clutched his chest during a scary moment just before halftime.

West Virginia players picked up their coach, got him to the bench and made his job easier by maintaining a comfortable lead the rest of the way Monday night.

Jevon Carter had 24 points and Lamont West had a career-high 23, helping the 12th-ranked Mountaineers roll to a 77-62 win over Texas following Huggins’ frightening fall.

Huggins went down on the court during a timeout just before the half, and his players quickly came to his aid. Huggins stood, briefly massaged his chest and returned to the sideline.

Huggins said his defibrillator went off, but he returned to coach in the second half and finished the game.

“It comes out of nowhere,” Huggins said. “Well, I guess I got a little lightheaded, which I do when I stand up too fast sometimes. A lot of that’s old age, and a lot of it is some of the medication I take.

“Then, I mean honestly, the defibrillator went off,” Huggins added. “But, that’s second time it’s been going off. It goes off and what it is, it just shocks your heart back into rhythm.”

The 63-year-old Huggins had a heart attack at the Pittsburgh airport in 2002 when he was the coach at Cincinnati. He was back in his office two weeks later.

Texas coach Shaka Smart later exchanged well wishes with Huggins.