WVU Downs Wheeling University in Exhibition Play Wednesday Night

Wednesday, October 28

Morgantown, W.Va.

7 p.m.

West Virginia University

Wheeling (exhibition)

Team	1	2	F
Wheeling	28	27	55
West Virginia	45	53	98

Guard Martin Somerville looks for an open teammate during West Virginia's exhibition men's basketball game against Wheeling University at the WVU Coliseum, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.

Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications

October 28, 2026 09:30 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: John Antonik

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia concluded preseason play with a 98-55 victory over Division II Wheeling University on Wednesday night at Hope Coliseum.

The Mountaineers got a game-high 15 points from freshman point guard Miles Sadler and 14 points from backcourt mate Finley Bizjack.

Sadler, Bizjack and Joson Sanon logged 24 minutes each, and nine different players were on the court for double-digit minutes.

All 13 players available for action tonight got into the game and 11 made it into the scoring column.

"What's unique about the early part of seasons is different styles of play that you play against, and this was really the first time we had played against more of a five-out kind of team," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said afterward. "They really challenged us in ways that we haven't been challenged, and you get spread out and we didn't guard the ball as well as we needed to."

The Mountaineers, which shot 72% from the floor in the second half, got 11 points each from Sanon, Mouhamed Sylla and Keonte Greybear.

Overall, WVU shot 57.8% (37 of 64) from the floor and more than doubled up Wheeling on the glass, 43 to 21.

West Virginia came out torrid from behind the 3-point arc before cooling to 37% for the game, the Mountaineers connecting on 10 of their 27 attempts from behind the arc.

"Our offense was able to stay ahead of the game before we could settle in defensively," Hodge said.

The Mountaineers led 45-28 at halftime before outscoring the Cardinals 53-27 after intermission.

Levon Jacobs led Wheeling with 13 points.

Kwynsie Pittsnogle, the son of former West Virginia star Kevin Pittsnogle, who was in attendance for tonight's game, made a pair of 3s for the Cardinals.

"Our intensity level on the ball wasn't good enough to start the game, and I thought they moved the ball too easily and were able to kind of pinpoint it and we were chasing a little bit behind the ball," Hodge explained. "It's good to feel that and it's good for (West Virginia's bigs) to have to feel having to navigate perimeter-oriented forwards."

Wheeling was the second Mountain East Conference foe West Virginia faced during the preseason with the other matchup coming last Friday night at Glenville.

WVU began preseason play with a 90-81 overtime loss at Maryland on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Regular season play begins this coming Monday night at Hope Coliseum against Niagara of the Metro Conference. The Purple Eagles are coached by former Duke star player Greg Paulus, who is in his seventh season there.

The opener will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+. Tickets for the opener and all regular season games remain on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.