Wednesday, December 3
Morgantown, W.Va.
7 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Coppin State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers, Eagles to Clash Wednesday Night at Hope Coliseum
December 02, 2025 12:44 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia continues its two-game homestand with a Wednesday night meeting against Coppin State at Hope Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (6-2) are coming off a 70-38 victory over Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon that saw five different players score nine points or more and the defense limit the Lakers to just 37.5% shooting and 16 second-half points.
The 38 points were the fewest scored by a West Virginia opponent at the Coliseum since the "Press Virginia" days when the Mountaineers limited Coppin State to the same point total on Dec. 20, 2017.
"I thought our attention to detail was good and our communication was good," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said of his team's defensive effort. "We were switching a lot, and so obviously, you're going to be guarding different people.
"I thought as the game went on, we did a better job of communicating that clearly," he added.
West Virginia is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense this week giving up just 57.5 points per game and also No. 1 in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pom.
The Mountaineers are now at full strength with the return of senior forward Jackson Fields, who missed the first seven games of the season while recovering from a preseason wrist injury.
The Missouri City, Texas, resident scored 9 points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out two assists in 11 minutes of work coming off the bench against Mercyhurst.
"When Jackson got hurt in the summer, and even into the month of September, we were disjointed," Hodge said. "We didn't have Jackson. Harlan (Obioha) missed significant time in September with a hamstring issue, and Morris (Ugusuk) was out for three weeks, so we kind of had this revolving door of people that were in and out from a health standpoint.
"What it did was it cut our ability to practice. Then you play those first five games without Chance Moore and Jackson, so you have eight players in your rotation and that limits what you can do in practice," Hodge observed. "(Fields' return) allowed us to have some competitive practices against ourselves."
Moore became the seventh different player to lead the team in scoring on Sunday with 11 points against the Lakers.
Five different players – Brenen Lorient, Jasper Floyd, Honor Huff, DJ Thomas and Treysen Eaglestaff – have scored at least 20 points in a game so far this season.
"The good of (the team scoring balance) is it's an unselfish group that is committed to making the right play, understanding that the right play might not involve them shooting and scoring," Hodge said. "I think where we've got to continue to get better is just getting more consistent production from everybody on the same night."
Huff is tops on the team with an average of 15.6 points per game, while Lorient shows averages of 11 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Eight different players are averaging better than 7.3 points per game for the Mountaineers.
Coppin State, which recently picked up a 68-65 victory over Rider, is led by DeMariontay Hall's 10.1 points per game average.
Among Eagle players familiar to Mountaineer fans is 6-foot-7 senior forward Taj Thweatt, who spent two seasons at WVU before later transferring to Fairmont State.
Fans attending Wednesday night's game are encouraged to bring a canned item in support of West Virginia University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SSAC) canned food drive. Those who do so will receive a voucher for a free ticket to an upcoming WVU women's basketball game.
Also, there will be discounted "Happy Hour" prices on all beverages at the concession stand from 5:30 p.m. until tipoff at 7 p.m.
ESPN+ (Andrew Caridi, Warren Baker and Amanda Mazey) will televise the game. Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps will tip things off at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
The Mountaineers (6-2) are coming off a 70-38 victory over Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon that saw five different players score nine points or more and the defense limit the Lakers to just 37.5% shooting and 16 second-half points.
The 38 points were the fewest scored by a West Virginia opponent at the Coliseum since the "Press Virginia" days when the Mountaineers limited Coppin State to the same point total on Dec. 20, 2017.
"I thought our attention to detail was good and our communication was good," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said of his team's defensive effort. "We were switching a lot, and so obviously, you're going to be guarding different people.
"I thought as the game went on, we did a better job of communicating that clearly," he added.
West Virginia is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense this week giving up just 57.5 points per game and also No. 1 in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pom.
The Mountaineers are now at full strength with the return of senior forward Jackson Fields, who missed the first seven games of the season while recovering from a preseason wrist injury.
The Missouri City, Texas, resident scored 9 points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out two assists in 11 minutes of work coming off the bench against Mercyhurst.
"When Jackson got hurt in the summer, and even into the month of September, we were disjointed," Hodge said. "We didn't have Jackson. Harlan (Obioha) missed significant time in September with a hamstring issue, and Morris (Ugusuk) was out for three weeks, so we kind of had this revolving door of people that were in and out from a health standpoint.
"What it did was it cut our ability to practice. Then you play those first five games without Chance Moore and Jackson, so you have eight players in your rotation and that limits what you can do in practice," Hodge observed. "(Fields' return) allowed us to have some competitive practices against ourselves."
Moore became the seventh different player to lead the team in scoring on Sunday with 11 points against the Lakers.
Five different players – Brenen Lorient, Jasper Floyd, Honor Huff, DJ Thomas and Treysen Eaglestaff – have scored at least 20 points in a game so far this season.
"The good of (the team scoring balance) is it's an unselfish group that is committed to making the right play, understanding that the right play might not involve them shooting and scoring," Hodge said. "I think where we've got to continue to get better is just getting more consistent production from everybody on the same night."
Huff is tops on the team with an average of 15.6 points per game, while Lorient shows averages of 11 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Eight different players are averaging better than 7.3 points per game for the Mountaineers.
Coppin State, which recently picked up a 68-65 victory over Rider, is led by DeMariontay Hall's 10.1 points per game average.
Among Eagle players familiar to Mountaineer fans is 6-foot-7 senior forward Taj Thweatt, who spent two seasons at WVU before later transferring to Fairmont State.
Fans attending Wednesday night's game are encouraged to bring a canned item in support of West Virginia University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SSAC) canned food drive. Those who do so will receive a voucher for a free ticket to an upcoming WVU women's basketball game.
Also, there will be discounted "Happy Hour" prices on all beverages at the concession stand from 5:30 p.m. until tipoff at 7 p.m.
ESPN+ (Andrew Caridi, Warren Baker and Amanda Mazey) will televise the game. Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps will tip things off at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Players Mentioned
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TV Highlights: WVU 70, Mercyhurst 38
Monday, December 01
Ross Hodge | Mercyhurst Postgame
Sunday, November 30
Amir Jenkins, Jackson Fields & Chance Moore | Mercyhurst Postgame
Sunday, November 30
TV Highlights: WVU 81, Lafayette 59
Tuesday, November 18
