Virginia

One OT not enough as Ohio State and West Virginia go to double overtime

Published

3 weeks ago

December 13, 2025

One OT not enough as Ohio State and West Virginia go to double overtime

CLEVELAND — For the third time since the 2019-20 season, Ohio State and West Virginia are squaring off on the home floor of the NBA’s Cavaliers.

It’s a chance for the Buckeyes to bounce back after an 88-80 loss to No. 13 Illinois on Dec. 9 and a game that coach Jake Diebler said will see them field a healthier roster.

“I think we’re resilient,” Diebler said Dec. 12. “We’re trying to play with that same urgency at a high level more consistently. We’re showing improvement in that. That’s what we’re fighting for is more possessions of high-level Ohio State basketball play.”

Ohio State is 7-2 and West Virginia is 8-3. Follow along with all the game action at our Dispatch live blog below.

With 3:45 left in double overtime, Ohio State’s Devin Royal fouled Chance Moore on a drive and checked out with five fouls. Moore hit both free throws and it’s a 79-77 Mountaineers lead.

West Virginia got the final shot, but Honor Huff’s final drive was off the mark and the Buckeyes and Mountaineers are going to double overtime tied at 77. The first overtime featured five lead changes, and Ohio State’s Devin Royal missed a free throw with 23.2 seconds left that could’ve been the game-winning point.

John Mobley Jr. missed a 3-pointer, then drew a charge to negate West Virginia’s final drive with four seconds left and give the Buckeyes one final attempt. Bruce Thornton’s deep 3-pointer didn’t fall, and after trailing by 16 points Ohio State is going to overtime against West Virginia.

John Mobley Jr.’s 3-point heave gave Ohio State a 68-66 lead with 1:03 left, but a West Virginia layup with 36.2 seconds remaining knotted the game at 68.

The Buckeyes have the ball with 24 seconds left after calling timeout with 17 on the shot clock.

The Buckeyes have strung together three consecutive defensive stops and will have possession after this under-4 timeout. West Virginia leads 63-59 with 3:30 to play.

It’s been a wild few minutes. The Buckeyes are on a 17-4 run to pull within 55-52, and they had a chance to tie the game as Bruce Thornton pulled up for a 3-pointer in transition. It came drastically short, and Thornton and Diebler were both calling out that contact was made, but no foul was called.

At the other end, West Virginia’s Brenen Lorient drew a touch foul on a drive to the basket, sending the teams into the under-8 timeout with 7:27 to play. After not getting the call at one end and then getting called for one at the other, Diebler immediately lit into the officials, who quickly assessed the technical.

West Virginia led by as many as 16 points, but Ohio State has used a full-court press and some offensive aggression to pull within 55-50 with 8:51 to play. The Buckeyes have the ball.

It’s still a double-digit deficit for the Buckeyes, but freshman forward Amare Bynum has scored on the last two possessions and Ohio State is on a modest 6-0 run to pull within 51-41 as West Virginia has called timeout with 11:49 left.

The Buckeyes have strung together three consecutive defensive stops.

The Mountaineers have scored on five straight possessions, the last two of which have been on 3-pointers, and now lead by a game-high 16 points. It’s 51-35 with 14 minutes to play after Ohio State coach Jake Diebler called timeout and lit into his players in the huddle.

Ohio State’s inability to grab a loose ball has fed into this stretch. Down 45-35, Amare Bynum had an offensive rebound go off his hands. At the other end, the Mountaineers missed, but Christoph Tilly couldn’t corral the long rebound and it ended with a Honor Huff 3-pointer.

The official stats are incorrect, but Buckeyes wing Devin Royal just went to the bench with 17:04 to play after picking up his fourth foul, three of which came during the first half.

West Virginia leads Ohio State 43-33 with 15:53 to play in the game as the Buckeyes have not been able to cut into the Mountaineers’ lead.

The next 20 minutes might be as impactful as any in Ohio State’s season. West Virginia outscored the Buckeyes 20-8 in the final 8:13 of the first half to take a 37-27 lead into the break at Rocket Arena.

The Mountaineers closed the half with a 3-pointer from Honor Huff, a prolific shooter who hadn’t gotten on the board until he was caught in the right corner, double-teamed and still heaved in a shot that found only net.

Nothing has gone right for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 2 for 12 from 3-point range, have multiple starters in foul trouble and can’t get stops. Ohio State led 19-17 but West Virginia scored on five straight possessions and seven of eight to steadily build its lead.

After losing at Pitt on Nov. 28 and at home to No. 13 Illinois on Dec. 9, the Buckeyes’ early-season resume can’t afford a loss to a West Virginia team ranked No. 71 at KenPom.com.

Someone will have to get going offensively in the second half for the Buckeyes to have any chance of pulling off the comeback.

Taison Chatman’s 3-point play with 9:35 left in the first half gave the Buckeyes a 19-17 lead, but they would not score again until Devin Royal’s putback with 4:29 left. In between, the Mountaineers scored 11 straight points and built a 28-19 lead.

West Virginia scored on five straight possessions, the last two of which were wide-open 3-pointers, and leads 28-21 with 3:34 left in the first half.

The Buckeyes’ high-powered offense has largely been held in check through the early going. West Virginia and Ohio State are tied at 19 with 7:47 to play in the half.

West Virginia is 0-3 when allowing an adjusted offensive efficiency of 95.7 points per 100 possessions or higher. Ohio State has been higher than that mark in all nine of its games so far.

The redshirt sophomore guard hadn’t seen game action since the Nov. 25 win against Mount St. Mary’s and was a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, but he subbed in near the midpoint of the first half against the Mountaineers and connected on a three-point play for his first points since that game.

For the first time since suffering an ankle injury at Pitt, John Mobley Jr. looks like himself again. He swished two free throws, breaking a stretch of going 2 for 8 from the line, and he’s buried two 3-pointers to give him 8 points.

Ohio State leads 16-14 with 10:27 left in the half. The have forced three West Virginia turnovers and are winning the rebounding battle 10-7.

Ohio State guard Gabe Cupps subbed in early and picked up a foul on consecutive defensive possessions, sending him back to the bench and bringing Colin White into the game.

Ohio State leads 11-9 with 12:57 to play in the first.

Taking care of the the ball was emphasized as a major key for the Buckeyes leading into this game, but Ohio State has three turnovers on its first eight possessions and trails the Mountaineers 8-5 at the first media timeout.

Listen to the reaction to the introduction of the two teams.

Here are tonight’s starters:

Ohio State: Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal, Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly

West Virginia: Honor Huff, Jasper Floyd, Brenen Lorient, Treysen Eaglestaff, Harlan Obioha

A few minutes after Ohio took down St. Bonaventure 88-83 in overtime, Ohio State’s players are on the court with an expected tip time of 8:01 p.m.

Dispatch writer Adam Jardy’s pregame thoughts for Ohio State-West Virginia

Columbus Dispatch men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy shares his pregame thoughts before Ohio State plays West Virginia in Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.

Ohio State’s game against West Virginia, as well as the Ohio-St. Bonaventure game currently being played as paert of the doubleheader, will only feature fans in the lower bowl of the arena. The upper section of Rocket Arena is covered by a black curtain.

No surprises on the official availability report for Ohio State. Josh Ojianwuna remains out as he continues to recover from knee surgery, and Myles Herro is redshirting, but otherwise everyone is available.

Ohio State vs West Virginia score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
Start time: 8 p.m. ET

The Ohio State vs West Virginia game starts at 8 p.m. from Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

TV Channel: ESPNU
Livestream: ESPN+
Radio: WBNS-FM (97.1)

Ohio State vs. West Virginia will air nationally on ESPNU. John Schriffen and King McClure will call the game. Streaming options for the game include Sling, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Stream Ohio State vs. West Virginia

Series record: Ohio State leads, 10-8
Ohio State’s last win: Dec. 30, 2023 (78-75, OT, in Cleveland)
West Virginia’s last win: Dec. 29, 2019 (67-59, in Cleveland)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Dec. 12

Spread: Ohio State by 3.5

Over/under: 144.5

Moneyline: Ohio State (-190); West Virginia (+155)

Ohio State men’s basketball schedule

Oct. 26 – Ohio University (exhibition) W, 103-74 (takeaways)
Nov. 3 – IU Indy, W, 118-102 (takeaways)
Nov. 7 – Purdue Fort Wayne, W, 94-68 (takeaways)
Nov. 11 – Appalachian State, W 75-53 (takeaways)
Nov. 16 – Notre Dame, W 64-63 (takeaways)
Nov. 20 – Western Michigan W, 91-58 (takeaways)
Nov. 25 – Mount St. Mary’s W, 113-60 (takeaways)
Nov. 28 – at Pitt L, 67-66 (takeaways)
Dec. 6 – at Northwestern W, 86-82 (takeaways)
Dec. 9 – Illinois L, 88-80 (takeaways)
Dec. 13 – vs. West Virginia (Cleveland Hoops Showdown, Cleveland)
Dec. 20 – vs. North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta)
Dec. 23 – Grambling State
Jan. 2 – at Rutgers
Jan. 5 – Nebraska
Jan. 8 – at Oregon
Jan. 11 – at Washington
Jan. 17 – UCLA
Jan. 20 – Minnesota
Jan. 23 – at Michigan
Jan. 26 – Penn State
Jan. 31 – at Wisconsin
Feb. 5 – at Maryland
Feb. 8 – Michigan
Feb. 11 – USC
Feb. 14 – vs. Virginia (Nashville Hoops Showdown, Nashville)
Feb. 17 – Wisconsin
Feb. 22 – at Michigan State
Feb. 25 – at Iowa
March 1 – Purdue
March 4 – at Penn State
March 7 – Indiana

Buy Ohio State vs. West Virginia men’s basketball tickets

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.

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Virginia

Virginia state trooper injured in Beltway crash following pursuit

Published

5 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Virginia state trooper injured in Beltway crash following pursuit

article

ALEXANDRIA, VA. – A Virginia State Police trooper was injured in a crash during a pursuit on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon, according to the Virginia State Police.

At 3:47 p.m., a trooper attempted to stop a Honda Accord for reckless driving on Interstate 495 westbound. The vehicle refused to stop, leading to a pursuit, a press release says.

The pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle exited at Van Dorn Street. The trooper terminated the pursuit to avoid a collision with another vehicle, resulting in the police vehicle going off the road and striking a tree.

Trooper’s condition and ongoing investigation

What we know:

The trooper involved in the crash suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, according to the release. The injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The incident is still under investigation by Virginia State Police to determine the exact circumstances and any potential charges against the driver of the Honda Accord.

What we don’t know:

The identity of the driver of the Honda Accord and whether they have been apprehended remains unknown at this time.

The Source: Information from a Virginia State Police press release.

Crime and Public SafetyNewsVirginia

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Virginia

Flu cases surging in northern Virginia, health officials say

Published

17 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Flu cases surging in northern Virginia, health officials say

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – Get the flu shot, wash your hands and stay home if you’re sick — that’s the message coming from Virginia’s Health Department as data shows flu cases soaring in northern Virginia.

Flu-related emergency room visits have tripled in just the last couple of weeks.

Pharmacies including this one are also reportedly seeing more patients coming in for the flu, with more severe symptoms.

By the numbers:

According to new data, 30% of Virginia residents received flu shots this year, despite doctors saying it’s one of the best ways to protect against the illness.

“I’m seeing an increase in the number of people who are coming here for medication and severity as well,” said Janice Granmayeh, who works at a pharmacy in McLean. “Peak season in our area is usually January, February, March.”

The Virginia Department of Health says flu diagnoses at emergency room visits tripled the last two weeks of December.

“I’m a firm believer in the vaccine. I’ve been vaccinated. All I can say is do your best to stay healthy,” Manassas resident Michael Spratley told FOX 5.

We’re told flu cases across all of Virginia are increasing based on two reporting periods — one ending Dec. 13 and another ending being Dec. 27.

During this second reporting period, there were 1,800 reported flu cases compared to just shy of 100 COVID cases.

What they’re saying:

Health officials say while a spike in flu during the holidays is normal, it’s the extreme spike that’s raising concerns.

“The first thing is vaccination. Vaccination is still very effective even with the news,” said Dr. David Rose with the Alexandria Health Department.

It’s not too late to get the flu shot and doctors and pharmacists are encouraging people to do so.

NewsHealth

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Virginia

Five takeaways from Virginia basketball’s road win at NC State

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Five takeaways from Virginia basketball’s road win at NC State

Save for the first several minutes of the second half, the No. 21 Virginia Cavaliers dominated NC State on Saturday afternoon to pick up their first ACC win of the year, 76-61. Sam Lewis led all scorers with 23 points, 20 of which came in the first half as he alone matched NC State’s first-half output.

A 40-20 halftime lead gave the Cavaliers the cushion they needed to handle a big NC State run to begin the second half. The ’Hoos allowed the lead to slip to just nine points, but they responded with a run of their own that restored the lead to 22 points. The Wolfpack were unable to respond again, and the Cavaliers cruised to victory down the stretch.

From the first ACC win of the year, here are five takeaways:

This was a much-needed win for Virginia.

The Cavaliers were on the road again for their second straight game to begin ACC play. After an underwhelming performance in Blacksburg on Wednesday resulted in a triple overtime loss, getting a win in Raleigh was a must. Doing so in a largely dominant fashion was the cherry on top.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead and looked to be headed for a comfortable win. The Wolfpack responded with a 15-4 run to begin the second half, far from what Ryan Odom would have liked to see from his team. However, the ‘Hoos promptly responded with a 20-6 run that restored the 20-point lead.

Thijs De Ridder was the catalyst in that stretch, scoring a few tough buckets in the paint and drilling a three-pointer. The Belgian big man totaled 12 points and six rebounds in the second half.

Sam Lewis bounced back from a poor shooting performance vs. Virginia Tech.

For the first time all season, Ryan Odom started Devin Tillis over Sam Lewis against the Hokies on Wednesday. Neither player shot the ball well – Tillis went 3-of-12 from the floor, Lewis was 0-for-5 – and the Cavaliers suffered a triple overtime loss to their rival.

Odom went back to the lineup he’s used most of the year, starting Lewis against NC State. The move paid off as Lewis caught fire in the first half, scoring 20 points to match NC State’s team total in the first half. The Toledo transfer scored the first six points of the game and 12 of Virginia’s first 15 points. He drilled 4-of-5 from three in the first half alone.

Lewis finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-9 from three.

Quick ball movement remains the key to UVA’s offensive success.

Duh, every basketball coach at every level will tell you that. But the quick ball movement Virginia operated with extensively in the first half proved as much, causing the NC State defense major problems. The ‘Hoos were getting open looks from the outside, both by whipping the ball around the perimeter and from kicking it out on drives into the paint. NC State couldn’t keep up.

The offense went a little stagnant to start the second half, and the Wolfpack took advantage, cutting Virginia’s lead to nine points. When the Cavaliers got back to quick passing and stopped getting stuck with one guy dribbling too much, they went on a big run of their own, regained their 20-plus point lead, and allowed the home crowd to leave early to beat the traffic.

Virginia’s defense was stout.

The 61 points scored by NC State in this game were the fewest scored by the Wolfpack this season. The Cavaliers held them to just 20 points and three assists in the first half, while the Wolfpack turned it over seven times.

Will Wade’s group found more success in the second half, scoring 41 points after the break, but it was still far from enough. The Wolfpack offense would have benefited from more of the quick ball movement that the Virginia offense utilized so effectively. Instead, UVA held NC State to only seven assists in the game and a lowly 36.0% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range.

Virginia returns home without needing to hit the panic button.

The Cavaliers sorely missed Jacari White in the loss against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, but his absence was far less noticeable against NC State. Virginia shot 50.0% from the field and 39.4% from three while recording 14 assists. For comparison, against the Hokies, Virginia shot 36.0% from the field and 22.2% from three and notched only 15 assists in the triple overtime affair.

The Cavaliers certainly would like to get White back as soon as possible, but Saturday afternoon’s performance proved it isn’t time to panic about this team’s ability to shoot well against ACC opponents without the spark White has provided off the bench.

Virginia can now return home with renewed confidence for a pair of tough games against California and Stanford ahead of a big road game at No. 16 Louisville. Notably, Cal defeated then-No. 18 UCLA earlier in the year, while Stanford knocked off Louisville on Friday in Palo Alto.

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