MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In West Virginia’s 72-59 loss at UCF last month, the Mountaineers lost the battle on the boards and they were unable to handle the physicality that the Knights brought to the floor.
A change in strategy and a healthy Jesse Edwards made all the difference Tuesday night in front of 8,882 fans at the Coliseum as the Mountaineers defeated UCF, 77-67.
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers center Jesse Edwards (7) celebrates with teammates after defeating the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Edwards notched his fifth double-double of the season with a 15-point, 10-rebound effort as WVU put a stop to their four-game losing streak.
“It is a physical team and we knew that coming in, especially after the last game,” Edwards said. “So we expected it and I think we did a good job with it.”
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“Having him made a tremendous difference, especially opening up our guard play,” said WVU head coach Josh Eilert.
“You are talking about a 7-plus-footer who is very mobile and active,” said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. “He really finishes well around the basket. If he gets the ball down low, you can pretty much mark two points.”
Edwards’ play, combined with a steady diet of zone defenses, forced the Knights into taking quick shots from the perimeter. UCF made just 9-of-38 shots from beyond the arc.
“We changed some things up defensively in our man and went back-and-forth with our defenses. Certainly, our guys took that and ran with it and executed it. Credit to out guys for taking that approach, especially after the loss in Orlando,” Eilert said.
“I told our guys, ‘They are going to make some shots. We can’t get frustrated when they do. That’s what we are going to live with’.”
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WVU outrebounded UCF, 42-36.
“The hardest thing to do in the zone is to rebound out of it because you don’t have a man,” said WVU forward Quinn Slazinski. “What helps with that is us being vocal. Guys were stepping up. It is hard being vocal for the whole game because it was very tiring. We were able to do that.”
“We settled for too many threes,” Dawkins said. “On the road, you can’t do that. Our guys got caught up with getting looks, taking them and settling.”
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Josiah Harris (22) celebrates during the second half against the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia led wire-to-wire after quickly jumping out to a seven-point lead before the first media timeout. The Mountaineers built a 13-point lead in the opening half before UCF closed the gap to seven points, 37-30, at halftime.
The Mountaineers kept the Knights at a distance on the scoreboard in the second half. UCF crept within six points (62-56) with 6:30 to play before WVU pulled away down the stretch.
RaeQuan Battle led the Mountaineers with 24 points. It was his eighth 20-plus point game of the season. In his last three games, Battle has scored 70 points.
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“Really just stay the course and don’t let them knock you off your trail. That’s kind of what I did today. I wasn’t trying to talk back to them if they tried to get in my head like last game,” Battle said.
“It is a lesson learned. I just turned it around, especially after a game like Texas when we got blown out of the water. That was when I was like, ‘Alright, I just need to relax and play the game I have always been playing my whole life’.”
“He is doing a lot better of a job in letting the game come to him and being patient with it,” Eilert said. “He is going to get his touches one way or the other.”
Slazinski scored 14 points for the Mountaineers. Josiah Harris scored eight points while making all three of his attempts from the floor in 11 minutes.
“He was excellent coming in,” Eilert said. “We need to find some more minutes for him.”
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Kerr Kriisa scored seven points and dished out a game-best seven assists.
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Josh Eilert yells out a play during the second half against the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia (9-17, 4-9 Big 12) has drawn even with UCF (13-12, 4-9) in the conference standings. WVU hopes to avoid playing on Day 1 of the Big 12 Tournament, which the bottom four teams will do.
“As much as you guys want us to win, we want it ten times more. I know the fans are so great. But the league is so hard,” Slazinski said.
“Our staff has done a great job in trying to motivate us and keep us locked in for these last few games to really see if we can make something happen in the tournament.”
The Mountaineers will visit Iowa State Saturday and Kansas State on Monday.
“It is critical at this juncture, especially when you go on the road and play two really tough opponents,” Eilert said. “K-State has had their struggles but they are as hard as anyone to beat in Bramlage. You have a two-game road trip. Hilton and Bramlage are not fun places to play.”
The United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox on Tuesday, ruling that states may exclude transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
The justices were unanimous in their analysis that the laws do not violate civil rights laws. However, the court was split on whether West Virginia’s law stood up to constitutional muster.
The ruling concludes this chapter in the ongoing cultural debate. The Save Women’s Sports Act was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature and signed by then-Gov. Jim Justice in 2021, and was almost immediately challenged in court. The legal battle trudged on for the next five years on its way to becoming a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Tuesday’s ruling settled the legal debate, but the court of public opinion weighed in on the issues long before the justice issued their legal opinions. According to Pew Research, 66 percent of U.S. adults support laws requiring athletes to compete on teams that match their biological sex. A Gallup poll found similar results, with 69 percent of adults supporting such laws.
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West Virginia is not alone in passing a law to protect women’s and girls’ sports. Twenty-six other states have recognized the basic fact that there are differences between males and females and have chosen to pass legislation acknowledging those distinctions in athletic competition.
Lawmakers, who campaigned on protecting women’s and girls’ sports, can now tell constituents that they have fulfilled their campaign promise. The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in West Virginia.
“I would say that for the foreseeable future, we have a very certain future for women’s sports. And here in West Virginia, we know what the rules are, we know what the law is, we know that it’s constitutional,” said West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey on Talkline.
Tuesday’s ruling also presents an opportunity for legislators to move on from the issue. Discussions surrounding the topic during the legislative session have been known to grind momentum to a halt, and Republicans running for office over the last five years have made it a centerpiece of their campaigns.
The issue is now settled, at least for now.
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As J.B McCuskey cautioned,
“In the world of constitutional litigation, Dave, there’s never an end to any chapter.”
CHARLESTON, W.Va (WCHS) — As the conversation around two large transmission lines being built through parts West Virginia continues, the biggest question remaining is, will ratepayers be impacted?
The Valley North project is on the table and it would span from Putnam County to Frederick County, Maryland, totaling to 260 miles. Two new substations would also be built, one in Hardy County and the other in Frederick County Maryland.
According to the project website, these lines would strengthen the grid to deliver more reliable and affordable electricity to homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.
Energy Efficent West Virginia policy director, Emmett Pepper said, building these lines will not strengthen the power that we get at home.
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“We have some of the least reliable electricity in the country here in West Virginia. That’s not because of the large transmission lines that we see their tower above us. It’s because of the local distribution lines, the ones that come close to our homes. While there can be some small amount of benefit potentially from the big transmission lines going in, it is the local lines that are the problem and that is not being addressed by this,” he said.
Lawmakers we spoke with earlier this month said between both transmission line projects, West Virginia could have to front the bill for anywhere between $440 million to $900 million.
“This is going to be more cost for rate payers and will not fix our problems here. There are other places in the region that have issues with transmission, but that’s not our issue,” Pepper said.
He said he’d like to see state leaders take action to ensure these costs don’t fall back on ratepayers.
“I think we need to have a rate payers’ bill of rights that would actually protect people and have a plan for how we’re going to deal with this so that it has less of an impact on rate payers,” he said.
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Multiple open houses are scheduled for this project in West Virginia:
-Berkeley County, WV: July 7, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Holiday Inn Martinsburg Foxcroft Ballroom
– Hampshire County, WV: July 8, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m Bottling Works Event Center
– Tucker County, WV:July 8, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m.Tucker County High School
– Hardy County, WV: July 9, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Misty Mountain Event Barn
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– Barbour County, WV: July 15, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Philippi Middle School
– Lewis County, WV: July 16, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Robert L. Bland Middle School
– Upshur County, WV: July 16, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Event Center at Brushy Fork
– Harrison County, WV: July 21, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. South Harrison High School
– Preston County, WV: July 21, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Craig Civic Center
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– Calhoun County, WV: July 22, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Calhoun County Middle-High School
– Gilmer County, WV: July 22, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Glenville State University Waco Center
– Braxton County, WV: July 23, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Days Inn Flatwood Conference Center
– Grant County, WV: July 23, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Landes Arts Center
– Kanawha County, WV: July 28, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Sissonville Middle School
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– Roane County, WV: July 28, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Spencer Armory
– Jackson County, WV: July 29, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Greene Center
– Putnam County, WV: July 29, 2026 | 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. Poca High School
The grim discovery was made on the morning of June 14 on Cabin Creek Road in Kanawha County. PHOTO: WCHS TV
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Putnam County man has been identified as the victim in a homicide from two weeks ago.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday afternoon that the victim was Joseph Lovett, 28, of Hurricane. Human remains were discovered near a burning vehicle in the 300 block of Cabin Creek Road on June 14. Those remains were sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be identified.
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Harold Patterson
A man was already in custody in connection to Lovett’s death. A coordinated law enforcement effort from Kanawha and Putnam counties, in addition to North Carolina authorities, led to the arrest of Harold Patterson, 27, of Laurinburg, North Carolina, on June 16.
Patterson was charged with first-degree murder.
He’s being held in the Scotland County Detention Center in North Carolina, pending extradition back to West Virginia.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing.
