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 Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Lotto America on March 2, 2026

Published

2 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the West Virginia Lottery’s draw games on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 2.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

7-4-8

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

1-1-9-6

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 25 numbers from March 2 drawing

02-03-05-07-19-22

Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Scoots Up in Top 25 Rankings After Taking Series From Kennesaw State

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia Scoots Up in Top 25 Rankings After Taking Series From Kennesaw State

Another successful weekend for the West Virginia Mountaineers results in another slight bump up in the top 25 rankings. WVU took two of three from Kennesaw State on the road, allowing them to slide up to No. 23 in D1Baseball’s new batch of rankings.

D1Baseball’s Top 25 for Week 3

1. UCLA
2. LSU
3. Texas
4. Mississippi State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Arkansas
7. Auburn
8. North Carolina
9. Florida
10. Southern Miss
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma
13. NC State
14. Clemson
15. Wake Forest
16. Coastal Carolina
17. TCU
18. Oregon State
19. Tennessee
20. Florida State
21. Kentucky
22. Texas A&M
23. West Virginia
24. Miami
25. UTSA

Missed opportunity

West Virginia had a 6-0 lead in game three of its series against Kennesaw State, looking well on their way to a clean three-game sweep of the Owls.

Unfortunately for Steve Sabins, the bullpen imploded following another strong five-inning outing from the big lefty Maxx Yehl. Bryson Thacker, Carson Estridge, and David Perez combined to give up four runs on five hits over the final three innings, allowing the Owls to steal Sunday’s game.

The loss frustrated West Virginia fans and rightfully so, but there’s no need to panic. The name of the game is to continue winning the series. You do that, you’ll find yourself in a position to make the NCAA Tournament and earn a high seed. Obviously, you don’t want to blow the opportunity of a sweep, especially when you’re up 6-0, but it’s not a loss that is going to ruin their resume. Losing the series, on the other hand, would have.

What’s next for the Mountaineers?

No single mid-week game this week for West Virginia. Instead, they’ll play a quick two-game series against Radford at home beginning Tuesday. They’ll get one day of rest before opening up a three-game series at home against Columbia, which will be the final series of non-conference play. WVU will have a single mid-week game against Maryland on Tuesday, March 10th, before beginning Big 12 action on the road against Baylor.

The full remaining schedule

Mar. 2-4 Radford

Mar. 6-8 Columbia

Mar 10 Maryland

Mar 13-15 at Baylor

Mar. 17 Penn State

Mar. 29-21 BYU

Mar. 24 at Marshall

Mar. 27-29 at Arizona State

Mar. 31 at Arizona

Apr. 3-5 UCF

Apr. 7 Marshall

Apr. 10-12 at Texas Tech

Apr. 15 at Penn State

Apr. 17-19 Houston

Apr. 21 Pitt

Apr. 24-26 at Cincinnati

Apr. 29 at Penn State

May 1-3 Kansas State

May 5 Marshall (Charleston, WV)

May 8-10 at Kansas

May 14-16 TCU

May 20-23 Big 12 Championship (Surprise, AZ)

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West Virginia

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

Published

1 day 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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