West Virginia

No. 20 West Virginia cranks up defense, holds off CU Buffs

Published

4 weeks ago

February 5, 2026

No. 20 West Virginia cranks up defense, holds off CU Buffs

Colorado Buffaloes’ Desiree Wooten, left, puts up a shot past West Virginia Mountaineers’ Jordan Harrison, right, at the CU Events Center in Boulder on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Fast break

Why the Buffs lost: West Virginia’s defense locked down the Buffs in the second half, holding them to 21 points and forcing 10 turnovers.

Three stars:

1. West Virginia’s Jordan Harrison: Scored a game-high 18 points and racked up six steals.

2. CU’s Jade Masogayo: Finished with a team-high 13 points while also pulling down five rebounds.

3. West Virginia’s Gia Cooke: Scored six of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and also finished with three rebounds.

Up next: The Buffs host No. 14 TCU on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN+).

Opportunities to beat nationally ranked opponents don’t come around often.

The Colorado women’s basketball team had one of those opportunities on Wednesday and let it slip away.

No. 20 West Virginia cranked up its defense in the second half and held on for a 61-55 victory against the Buffaloes at the CU Events Center.

“I’m disappointed in that one,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “I thought we certainly had our opportunities. West Virginia’s a really good team. I mean, they’re No. 20 in the country for a reason, but I think when we turn on the film, we’re going to see that there was a lot of really missed opportunities that were us, whether that’s lack of execution or soft passes or not executing or whatever.

“Games like this are super frustrating because it’s such a cool opportunity to have a great team on your home floor as you’re climbing in the rankings in the conference and all of that. So I’m pretty bummed about the outcome, but certainly we played hard. We competed.”

CU never (15-8, 6-5 Big 12) never trailed by more than nine and even that deficit lasted just 14 seconds. The Buffs also never seized the lead in the second half, as they struggled offensively against one of the best defensive teams in the country.

The Buffs trailed 37-34 at the half and scored just 21 points after intermission, going 7-for-28 (25%) from the floor with 10 turnovers in the final two quarters.

“I don’t think they did anything really differently,” CU guard Zyanna Walker said. “I think it was just us, like, just self-inflicted wounds; just us being unorganized and just being lackadaisical with the ball and just not catching the ball where we want to catch it and getting the shots that we want to get.”

Still, the Buffs stayed in the game because their own defense was solid. West Virginia came out hot in the first quarter (8-for-15, 53.3%), but was just 16-for-43 (37.2%) the rest of the way.

Colorado Buffaloes’ Tabitha Betson, right, and West Virginia Mountaineers’ Carter McCray, left, watch for a rebound at the CU Events Center in Boulder on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)

Jordan Harrison led the Mountaineers with 18 points, including going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the first half. As a team, West Virginia was 7-for-11 beyond the arc in the first half, but 0-for-7 in the second.

“We came in at halftime and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we got to guard the three better,’” Walker said. “So we definitely made that an emphasis in the second half.”

Rebounding also kept the Buffs close. They had a 39-33 advantage, led by Tabitha Betson’s season-high 10, and limited West Virginia to six second-chance points.

“Yeah, it was definitely a huge part of the game,” Betson said. “A big part of how they play is rebounding, offensive rebounding in particular. Us limiting their second-chance opportunities definitely kept us in the game and kept it close.”

Offensively, Jade Masogayo led the Buffs with 13 points, Desiree Wooten had 12 and Logyn Greer 11. All three, and Betson, hit big shots to give the Buffs a chance down the stretch, despite their overall struggles.

Betson hit a layup with 4:51 to play cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 52-50, but CU was just 1-for-8 from the floor the rest of the way, outscored 9-5 down the stretch.

“There’s lots of good things that happened,” Payne sad. “It’s just that everybody is so good (in the Big 12). I always say, you don’t have to play perfect basketball; not by any stretch. But the things that we can control, we have to control. And I think there’s some areas that we didn’t do that and that’s I think what bit us in the butt in the end.”

Notable

CU had a three-game losing streak snapped and lost at home for just the second time this season. … Walker finished with eight points, eight rebounds and two steals. … The two teams combined for 43 points in the first quarter. … Harrison, who leads the Big 12 in steals per game, at 2.9, had six against the Buffs. She has 18 steals in her last three games. … This was CU’s eighth consecutive game decided by nine points or less.

No. 20 West Virginia 61, Colorado 55

WEST VIRGINIA (19-5, 9-3 Big 12)

McCray 2-6 0-1 4, Wheeler 3-9 1-2 7, Cooke 5-11 1-2 12, Shaw 5-13 0-0 11, Harrison 6-10 3-4 18, Woodley 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Makalusky 3-6 0-0 8, Riviere 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 24-58 6-11 61.

COLORADO (15-8, 6-5 Big 12)

Masogayo 2-7 9-9 13, Dutat 1-2 0-0 2, Walker 4-11 0-0 8, McErlane 0-0 0-0 0, Betson 3-9 1-2 7, Wooten 5-15 1-4 12, Greer 4-7 2-2 11, Gooden 0-2 2-2 2, Nworie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 15-19 55.

West Virginia 24 13 10 14 – 61

Colorado 19 15 8 13 – 55

3-point goals – WVU 7-18 (Harrison 3-4, Makalusky 2-3, Shaw 1-6, Cooke 1-4, Woodley 0-1), Colorado 2-9 (Wooten 1-3, Greer 1-2, Betson 0-2, Gooden 0-2). Rebounds – WVU 33 (McCray 10), Colorado 39 (Betson 10). Assists – WVU 7 (Shaw, Harrison 2), Colorado 9 (Wooten 4). Steals – WVU 11 (Harrison 6), Colorado 8 (Wooten 3). Turnovers – WVU 15, Colorado 17. Total fouls – WVU 19, Colorado 14. Fouled out – None. Attendance – 2,097.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

Published

9 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

West Virgnia built a six-run lead through five and half innings, but the Kennesaw State Owls (5-5) scored seven unanswered runs in three frames to knock off the Mountaineers (8-2) Sunday afternoon 7-6.

West Virginia captured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore Matt Ineich hit a leadoff single before sophomore Gavin Kelly and senior Paul Schoenfeld were issued walks to load the bases with two outs on the board. Then, redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy line a two-RBI single to centerfield in his first career start.

The Mountaineers extended their lead in the second when Kelly hit a three went opposite field for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 5-0 advantage.

West Virginia starting southpaw pitcher Maxx Yehl threw five scoreless innings. The redshirt junior recorded four strikeouts on the day and limited the Owls to four hits.

Kelly added a run in the sixth, clearing the centerfield wall for his second home run of the afternoon and a 6-0 WVU lead.

Redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker took the mound in the six. After a high and wide throw on a ground ball, a walk, and with two outs, junior Cooper Williams drooped an RBI single in right field to put the Owls on the board. Then, a pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop to add another run, closing the gap to four, 6-2.

Carson Estridge was handed the ball in the seventh. The senior right-hander gave up a leadoff double before registering the next two outs, including a strikeout, before freshman McCollum line an RBI single just out of the reach of the glove of Kelly. Senior Jackson Chirello cut the deficit one, hammering the 3-1 pitch well over the right field wall and into the Waffle House parking lot for a two-run home run.

West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins turned to the clubhouse leader in saves David Perez to get the Mountaineers out of the inning. The freshman returned to the mound in the eighth. Senior Jamarie Brooks reached after hitting a sharp ground ball over to first that went between the legs of senior Ben Lumsden. Then, Williams blasted a two-run home run and a 7-6 Owls lead.

In the ninth, senior Matthew Graveline nearly tied the game with the swing of the bat, driving 0-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for a one-out double to put the Mountaineers into scoring position. However, redshirt senior Harry Cain sat the last two Mountaineer hitters to collect his second win of the season as the Owls completed the comeback with the 7-6 decision.

West Virginia is back in action on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series against Radford. Game one and game two (Weds) are both scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the all the action will stream on ESPN+.

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West Virginia

Delegate Larry Kump, master of various catch phrases, has died – WV MetroNews

Published

21 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.

Larry Kump

Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.

“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.

He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.

The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.

“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.

“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”

Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.

The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.

“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.

Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”

He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”

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West Virginia

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The Vape Safety Act of 2026 passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday, aiming to crack down on what lead sponsor of the bill Del. David McCormick, R-Monongalia, said are the bad actors in the vape shop world.

“They’re very lightly regulated,” McCormick said. “Here’s something that is becoming a blight on our landscape out here in our neighborhoods and towns. They’re all over the state and they need some oversight.”

McCormick said the bill will also strengthen licensing as to who can run the shops.

A key part of the legislation that passed the House by a vote of 88-5 is an FDA registry, requiring all the products sold in the shops to be approved at the federal level.

“Make sure that something doesn’t have 30 times the nicotine in it that it’s supposed to, which has happened, and get a 12-year-old kid addicted to nicotine,” McCormick. “That’s buying something that looks like Pokémon.”

Cracking down on the marketing strategies vape shops use is also included in the bill. It has gained support from both sides of the aisle.

“You walk into them and they have you know it looks fun and all the flavors and all the things,” Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha said. “So when teens go in there, it’s geared towards teens. So I think some regulation is important.”

Other provisions include vape shops not being allowed within 300 feet of schools, libraries or churches.

“I would deem these things almost attractive nuisance for kids and teenagers,” Lewis said. “What we want to do in this piece of legislation, we want to ultimately, above anything else, is protect our children and to get rid of bad actors to make sure that we know what’s being sold in the shop and we know who’s selling it.”

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