MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Jordan Harrison scored 21 points, Sydney Shaw added 20 and No. 16 West Virginia used its defense to overwhelm Niagara 110-41 on Saturday
The Mountaineers (2-0) forced 44 turnovers, turning those into 53 points. A 49-31 rebounding advantage, including a plus-13 on the offensive end, led to 21 second-chance points and it was 66-16 on points in the paint.
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Jordan Thomas scored 14 points for West Virginia, which was a plus-19 on free throws made. Ja’Naiya Quinerly and Kylee Blacksten both added 11 points. Zya Nugent scored seven points to surpass 1,000 for her career and Kyah Watson grabbed 13 rebounds.
Amelia Strong scored 14 points for Niagara (0-2), which had three players foul out and two more finish with four fouls.
The Mountaineers led 27-9 after one quarter, thanks to a 19-0 run. Niagara missed six consecutive shots and had nine turnovers in the near six-minute drought. Thomas had nine points as the Mountaineers scored the first 14 points of the second quarter to lead 41-9. Aided by another 13-0 run West Virginia led 56-15 at the half.
There was a 16-0 run in the third quarter to get the lead beyond 50 and a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that got the lead beyond 70.
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A large portion of the Mountain State saw storms with gusty winds last night, which has resulted in several trees coming down across roads, thousands of power outages and schools being delayed and closed.
As of Friday morning, the WV 511 website displays multiple warnings of fallen trees and debris in roadways, including several in north-central West Virginia. Both Harrison and Marion County 911 logs show crews responding to several reports of trees down.
WV 511
The First Energy website also shows that a total of 36,688 of its customers are currently without power, with many still waiting for an estimated restoration time.
First Energy Power Outage Map
Due to these power outages, multiple schools throughout West Virginia have been delayed or closed for the day, including those in Barbour, Gilmer, Lewis, Marion, Ritchie, Taylor, and Upshur counties.
Regular trees weren’t the only ones forced down due to the winds. Christmas decorations, including the Bridgeport Christmas tree, were knocked over as well.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A miner died Thursday after an incident at a coal mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.
The governor said it happened at the Lower War Eagle mine.
Morrisey released the following statement on Thursday evening:
“Denise and I were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a coal miner today at the Lower War Eagle mine in Wyoming County. Our hearts go out to his family, loved ones, and coworkers during this sorrowful time.
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“The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training responded immediately and is conducting a full investigation.
“Each day, West Virginia miners perform difficult and demanding tasks. They do this to provide for their families, to build the communities, and to forge a better future for the next generation of West Virginians. It is that work, their strength, and their dedication that defines our state and our nation.
“I ask that all West Virginians lift this miner’s family, friends, and community up in your prayers and keep them in your thoughts through the difficult days ahead.”
The transfer portal officially opens here in a couple of weeks, so before the madness begins, we’re going to take a look back at last year’s West Virginia portal class, highlighting some of the biggest surprises and disappointments.
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Biggest surprises
West Virginia University offensive lineman Donovan Haslam | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI
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For this group, we’re keeping it all positive. These are players who rose above expectations and turned out to be pretty solid players.
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OL Donovan Haslam (Austin Peay) – He’s far from a finished product, but he helped West Virginia get through some of its issues toward the end of the season when he replaced Walter Young Bear in the starting lineup. WVU will bring in competition for him, but he’s at least a capable option, just needs more development. That play he had dragging Diore Hubbard for a first down may have been a penalty, but it may have been the most determination we saw from a lineman all year.
BAN Devin Grant (Incarnate Word) – The stats may not show his impact, and sometimes that happens with a role player. His playmaking was very timely. Every time the Mountaineers desperately needed a sack, tackle for loss, or turnover, Grant delivered. He’s someone the staff would love to have for another year.
LB Ben Bogle (Southern Illinois) – Although he didn’t start, Bogle was the Mountaineers’ best run defender in the second level, and it really wasn’t close. As a matter of fact, he graded out as the best run stopper on the entire team. He’ll be in contention to start at the MIKE spot in 2026.
Biggest disappointments
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West Virginia University Bandit Jimmori Robinson | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI
Before I get started here, I’m not including offensive linemen Walter Young Bear and Kimo Makane’ole, simply because they did not come to WVU with big expectations. Yes, they played poorly, but this category is for players who didn’t live up to expectations, in one way or another.
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RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa) – Obviously, this isn’t a performance-based performance as Edwards injured his hip in the Backyard Brawl and was eventually lost for the season. Not having his physicality really hurt WVU’s offense and its ability to run the football. Had he been healthy, perhaps they could have won another game or two.
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RB Jaylan Knighton (SMU) – Who? Yeah, Jaylan Knighton, the guy who never played a down for the Mountaineers. The SMU transfer was expected to be the No. 2 to Jahiem White, which would have formed a pretty strong duo, albeit behind a bad offensive line. He had some academic issues that led to his dismissal in fall camp.
BAN Jimmori Robinson (UTSA) – Without question, the biggest disappointment of all. Robinson was expected to be an elite pass rusher for WVU and an all-league caliber player. I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at his feet, though. Some of it can be attributed to the late start with the NCAA, taking forever with his eligibility, which ended up going to court. Some of it could be the fit in the defense as well. Regardless, Robinson fell well short of expectations, finishing with just 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss one year after recording 17 TFLs and 10.5 sacks at UTSA.
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