MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On a night when West Virginia broke the 70-point mark for the first time since a 78-70 win at Colorado on January 12, the Mountaineers put together their fourth-best shooting performance of the year in a 72-61 win over Utah on Saturday.
WVU made 25-of-52 shots from the floor against the Utes (48.1 percent). With the Utes focusing much of their attention on denying opportunities for West Virginia’s leading scorer Javon Small, three other Mountaineers scored in double digits while shooting above 50 percent from the field. Amani Hansberry scored 17 points, the most since he posted back-to-back 19-point games against Gonzaga and Louisville in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving weekend.
Feb 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) talks with West Virginia Mountaineers forward Amani Hansberry (13) during the first half against the Utah Utes at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
“We have stretches where we play really good. We play great defense. We get out in transition and we are hitting shots. The switch flips and I guess we are a step late to certain things we are usually not a step late to,” Hansberry said.
“In order for us to be good, coach says all the time that we have to be hooked up and on top of our stuff for 40 minutes. Really it is playing consistent, getting on each other, staying out of our feelings and leaving it all out there for 40 consistent minutes.”
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Joseph Yesufu’s 14-point game marked his fifth double-digit scoring effort and his third consecutive game of at least 11 points.
“We have really good shooters on this team. We’ve gone through a few games here where they haven’t shot it great. But they are good shooters and they are going to keep shooting. We have confidence in them. Their teammates have confidence in them. On a night like tonight, we can see as an offense what we are capable of. Even on a night when Javon doesn’t get opportunities, you have [Jonathan Powell], you have Amani and you have Joe connecting from deep. That makes a world of difference for us,” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said.
“The other night at TCU, we didn’t get that same production. They are all going to break out of it. I have no doubt. They put in the work and they are good shooters. I am excited to see what this stretch run looks like for them. You add Javon on top of it and you have something.”
Freshman Jonathan Powell scored 11 points after collecting just 16 points in his last four games.
“There aren’t a lot of other guys that are getting a lot of minutes. He gets a little more leeway to make some mistakes and play through it,” DeVries said. “A lot of times as a freshman, you don’t always get that opportunity anywhere. He has done a great job of continuing to grow with it and expand his game and doing some good things.”
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Feb 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) jumps for a rebound during the first half against the Utah Utes at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Small was credited with just five shot attempts from the field but he went 9-for-9 from the free throw line to finish with 14 points. He also dished out eight assists, tying his second-most in any game this season.
“He is one of the most willing passers and unselfish guys,” DeVries said. “If it is about making the right play, he is going to do it.”
West Virginia (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) is in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Big 12 standings. The Mountaineers will host BYU Tuesday. The Cougars have identical overall and conference records to WVU. This is the last time this season the Mountaineers will host back-to-back games.
“It is only good if you take advantage of it and you get some sleep and you get some treatment and get some rest. This time of year, it is February and a lot of people are tired. Just that mental fight of continuing to maximize everything you’ve got left, taking care of your body is number one,” DeVries said.
“We have a huge home game and home games are golden in this league. You’ve got to come every single night and be ready to go. We’ve got BYU on Tuesday and hopefully another really big crowd and an impactful crowd like it was tonight.”
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia lawmakers continued working as the Saturday midnight deadline approaches.
Senate Action
The Senate passed 12 bills, including one requiring adult content websites to use age verification to block minors. Senators also passed a bill creating a Cold Case Task Force.
House Bill 49-90, targeting gift card crimes, and House Bill 54-37, the Vape Safety Act, also passed unanimously. All four bills now go to the House for concurrence.
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Delegates passed Alyssa’s Law, allowing teachers to wear mobile alert buttons that notify 9-1-1 and trigger a school lockdown in emergencies. The bill is named after a victim of the 2018 Parkland shooting.
Bill 4005, which clarifies jobs prohibited for workers under 16 — including bar work and logging — also passed. Both bills now head to Governor Patrick Morrisey’s desk.
Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stay at least 30 feet from first responders.
Senate Bill 75 would allow West Virginia law enforcement to cooperate with officers in bordering states. A bill from the Education Committee would allow teachers with at least 15 years of experience to become certified as school principals.
For more legislative coverage, go to our website at wdtv.com.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
