West Virginia had control of Saturday night’s Cleveland Hoops Showdown for long stretches, but a game that should have been put away in the second half turned into a gut-punch finish as the Mountaineers fell 89–88 to Ohio State in double overtime in Rocket Arena.

WVU dictated the game early, controlling the pace and limiting Ohio State’s early offense. After a back-and-forth opening stretch, the Mountaineers began to separate late in the first half and took control heading into the break. Honor Huff capped the half with a three on the final possession, sending WVU to the locker room up 37–27.

That momentum carried into the second half. Brenen Lorient scored on WVU’s first possession, and the Mountaineers continued to build on the lead. West Virginia pushed the margin to 51–35 as Huff and Jackson Fields knocked down back-to-back threes for a 16-point advantage that reflected how firmly the game had tilted in the Mountaineers’ favor.

Ohio State didn’t fold, and the game gradually tightened. The Buckeyes began cutting into the lead, forcing WVU into longer possessions on both ends. Even as the margin shrank, the Mountaineers kept finding ways to respond. A technical foul on Ohio State and a brief WVU run helped slow the momentum, but the lead continued to slip as the second half moved toward the final minutes.

Ohio State erased the deficit entirely and briefly took the lead on a deep three late in the half, but Fields answered on the other end to tie the game at 68 and send it to overtime.

The first overtime followed the same pattern. Huff opened the period with a three, Ohio State answered, and neither team could gain separation. WVU had chances to end it, but Ohio State stayed close enough to force a second overtime.

The second overtime was just as tight. Chance Moore opened with free throws, Lorient knocked down a kick-out three to reclaim the lead, and Huff hit a jumper with 12.3 seconds left to put WVU back in front 88–87. Ohio State answered again, taking the lead with 3.6 seconds remaining. West Virginia never got a shot off on the final possession.

Huff led the Mountaineers with 24 points after a slow start. Lorient turned in one of his most complete performances of the season, scoring 18 points on perfect shooting and grabbing seven rebounds. Moore added 15 points,10 of which came from the foul line, while Jasper Floyd finished with 14 points and helped set the offense going early.

WVU will close the non-conference schedule on Dec. 22 inside Hope Coliseum against Mississippi Valley State. Tip-off is set for 7:00PM on ESPN+

West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten)

Cleveland; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Buckeyes -4.5; over/under is 143.5

BOTTOM LINE: Ohio State takes on West Virginia at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Buckeyes have a 6-1 record against non-conference oppponents. Ohio State ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 16.4 assists per game led by Bruce Thornton averaging 4.2.

The Mountaineers are 8-3 in non-conference play. West Virginia is 3-3 against opponents with a winning record.

Ohio State averages 87.4 points, 29.0 more per game than the 58.4 West Virginia gives up. West Virginia has shot at a 45.4% clip from the field this season, 3.4 percentage points greater than the 42.0% shooting opponents of Ohio State have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Thornton is shooting 62.3% and averaging 21.7 points for the Buckeyes. John Mobley Jr. is averaging 13.7 points.

Honor Huff is shooting 41.5% and averaging 17.3 points for the Mountaineers. Brenen Lorient is averaging 10.2 points over the last 10 games.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.