Tempe, AZ – Senior guard JJ Quinerly led all scorers with 29 points and senior forward Kylee Blacksten recorded a career-high 24-points to lead the No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers (16-3, 6-2) past the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-12, 2-6) for the program’s 900th victory Wednesday night 89-59.
West Virginia opened the game on a 12-2 run. Junior guard Jordan Harrison drove to the basket on consecutive possessions, giving WVU a four-point lead after a contested layup, then drew the foul for a pair of free throws and JJ Quinerly led the way with a pair of threes.
The Mountaineers held a 19-point lead after ending the first quarter with 14-2 run. Quinerly hit a short-range jumper and got out in transition for a lay-in to cap off a 10-point first quarter, while junior guard Sydney Shaw buried two threes for the 28-9 advantage.
West Virginia led by as many as 20 early in the second quarter, but after shooting 10-15 from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, the Mountaineers went cold and shot 3-13 from the floor. Arizona State adjusted to the West Virginia pressure and cut the WVU lead to 12.
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Quinerly ended a four-minute scoring drought to put the Mountaineers up 14 with 1:45 remaining in the half and West Virginia took a 36-23 lead into halftime.
The West Virginia forced four turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half while senior for Kylee Blacksten buried a three as part of five straight, and the defense held the Sun Devils to three points while as part of a 15-3 run to stretch the lead to twenty-five, 51-26 at the 3:51 mark of the third quarter.
Kylee Blacksten buried a three to cap a 13-point third quarter for 22 points of the game, breaking her previous high of 20 set just over a year ago at Kansas State. Harrison followed with a jumper to build a 29-point advantage, but Arizona State ended the quarter with a 4-0 spurt as the Mountaineers held a 63-38 lead through three quarters of play.
West Virginia continued its pace in the fourth quarter, quickly stretching the lead to 30 and leading by as many as 35 points as the Mountaineers overwhelmed the Sun Devils for the 89-59 win.
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.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
The regular season is now behind us, and we are moving on to the next chapter of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, the week of conference tournaments.
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With their win on Friday over UCF and thanks to TCU taking care of business against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, the West Virginia Mountaineers have locked up the No. 7 seed in the Big 12 tournament, meaning they will receive a first-round bye. Ross Hodge’s squad will await the winner of No. 10 BYU and No. 15 Kansas State.
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While most may think it’s best to pull for K-State to spring the upset, it’s actually probably better if BYU wins. Why? Well, simply because beating Kansas State isn’t going to boost your resume. If there’s any chance at an at-large bid for the Mountaineers, they need to beat more quality teams. Beating BYU a second time would go a long way, and then springing the upset against Houston in the quarterfinals would really open some eyes.
Anyways, here is a look at all of the matchups and the entire bracket.
First round byes: Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia, UCF
Double byes: Arizona, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech
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Tuesday (First Round)
Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 13 Baylor, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Game 3: No. 10 BYU vs. No. 15 Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
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Game 4: No. 11 Colorado vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Wednesday (Second Round)
Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State vs. winner of No. 12 Arizona State/No. 13 Baylor, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
Game 6: No. 8 UCF vs. winner of No. 9 Cincinnati/No. 16 Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPNU
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Game 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. winner of No. 10 BYU/No. 15 Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPNU
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Game 8: No. 6 TCU vs. winner of No. 11 Colorado/No. 14 Oklahoma State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2/U
Thursday (Quarterfinals)
Game 9: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Game 5 winner, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 10: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 6 winner, 3 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 11: No. 2 Houston vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN/2
Game 12: No. 3 Kansas vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Friday (Semifinals)
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. on ESPN/2
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Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/2
Saturday (Championship)
Game 15: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 6 p.m. on ESPN
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