MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Unlike its previous blowouts this season, No. 15 West Virginia didn't put away VMI early. The Mountaineers, however, separated themselves with a solid second half for a 90-55 victory Saturday.

Daxter Miles sank 5-of-6 from 3-point range, becoming the first Mountaineer to score 20 points this season. Esa Ahmad added 12 points for West Virginia (8-1), which pulled away by outscoring VMI 52-30 in the second half.

"We needed to pick it up in the second half," Miles said.

Reserve forward Brandon Watkins produced his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"Last year I couldn't come off the bench and just play because my knee would be killing me," Watkins said. "But now I can get in, get out and start playing fast."

Guard QJ Peterson scored 17 to lead the Keydets (1-7), who entered as 35-point underdogs.

West Virginia finished with 19 assists, seven by guard Jevon Carter, who deferred to teammates while scoring four points and attempting only two shots.

Though the Mountaineers forced 22 turnovers, they fell four shy of their national-leading average.

"I guess lackluster might be the word for it," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "We weren't very good in pressure today. We turned them loose too much. We did a bad job of putting them where we needed to put them to make our rotations shorter."

Peterson, playing two hours from his hometown of Hedgesville, W.Va., made the play of the day for VMI - a criss-cross step-back jumper that left West Virginia defender Nathan Adrian tripping over himself.

As VMI reeled off 11 unanswered points to pull within 22-17, Huggins drew a technical from official Tom Eades doing a first-half timeout.

Miles made back-to-back 3s and West Virginia closed the half on a 10-3 run to lead 38-35. It was the best performance so far by the junior guard, who was sidelined for three games this season by what Huggins called an illness.

"Dax is gradually getting back into the rhythm, back into shape," Huggins said.

NOTES: Watkins had not scored in double figures since Feb. 11, 2015, when he had 14 points against Kansas State. His other double-double came three years ago again Marshall (12 points, 11 rebounds). ... Entering the day ranked 257th in foul shooting at 66 percent, West Virginia started 4-of-12 before finishing 26-of-42. ... VMI dropped to 10-28 under second-year coach Dan Earl, with four of those victories against no-Division I opponents. ... In ninth place on the Division I all-time coaching list, Huggins earned career victory No. 799.