Monday, November 2
Morgantown, W.Va.
7 p.m.
West Virginia University
1-0,0-0Big 12
91
vs
46
Niagara
0-1,0-0Metro
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 30 | 16 | 46 |
| West Virginia | 43 | 48 | 91 |
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
November 02, 2026 09:23 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia overcame a sluggish start to rout Niagara 91-46 Monday night at Hope Coliseum.
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The Purple Eagles (0-1) jumped out to an early 16-6 lead, but the Mountaineers scored the next 21 points and limited Niagara to just 16 second-half points on college basketball's opening day of play.
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West Virginia made 32 of its 62 field goal attempts for 52.5%, limited Niagara to just 19 of 45 for 42.2%, and forced the Purple Eagles into committing 24 turnovers leading to 24 points.
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After intermission, WVU outscored Niagara 48-16.
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West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said afterward he thought poor spacing contributed to his team's slow offensive start.
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"Seven of our first eight shots were from the perimeter – some of them were good and some of them were kind of like after-thought shots, but I really thought that next group really came in and changed the energy," Hodge said.Â
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Freshman point guard Miles Sadler just missed a double-double in his Mountaineer debut with 16 points and nine assists. Senior forward Brenen Lorient contributed 13 points, Martin Somerville tallied 12, Finley Bizjack and Javan Buchanan added 11 each, and Mouhamed Sylla scored 10, making all five of his field goal tries.
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Sylla also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
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Niagara did not make a free throw, missing all four of its attempts, and also did not grab an offensive rebound.
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Overall, West Virginia (1-0) had a 36-to-24 edge on the glass and made 13-of-30 from 3-point distance. Lorient, Sanon and Somerville had three triples each, while Sadler, Bizjack and Seydou Traore got the others.
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"In the second half, we were able to turn them over and make them miss and I thought our response was good," Hodge said. "We are still a new group together, but we do have experience with Brenen, Seydou, Finley and Martin, and I thought we finished the game the right way."
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All 13 players dressed and available for tonight's game saw action and nine got into the scoring column. Joson Sanon just missed reaching double figures with 9 points.
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"I think this is going to be a strength-in-numbers type of team," Hodge said. "We have a lot of different guys who can help us in a lot of different ways.
"The ability for this team to improve ... I thought we got better as this game went on, and I think we will continue to get better through our shared experiences," the coach added.
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Logan Woods led Niagara with 12 points.
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An announced crowd of 9,024 attended tonight's contest.
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West Virginia is back at Hope Coliseum on Friday night to face Stetson, which lost 85-72 to Clemson today in its season opener.
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Friday night's game will tip off at 7 pm and tickets are available through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Of note, according to MSN's David Kahn:
* Tonight marks just the fourth time in the last four seasons that West Virginia has scored 90+ points in a game and the Mountaineers did it just once last year against Coppin State with 91 points.
* The last time a West Virginia opponent failed to make a free throw was Delaware State on March 13, 2007.
* Tonight's 46 points scored by Niagara are the fewest West Virginia has allowed since holding Mercyhurst to 38 on Nov. 30, 2025.
* Niagara's 0 offensive rebounds tonight is believed to be a first for a Mountaineer opponent since the NCAA began adopting offensive rebounds as an official stat prior to the 1973-74 season.
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The Purple Eagles (0-1) jumped out to an early 16-6 lead, but the Mountaineers scored the next 21 points and limited Niagara to just 16 second-half points on college basketball's opening day of play.
Â
West Virginia made 32 of its 62 field goal attempts for 52.5%, limited Niagara to just 19 of 45 for 42.2%, and forced the Purple Eagles into committing 24 turnovers leading to 24 points.
Â
After intermission, WVU outscored Niagara 48-16.
Â
West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said afterward he thought poor spacing contributed to his team's slow offensive start.
Â
"Seven of our first eight shots were from the perimeter – some of them were good and some of them were kind of like after-thought shots, but I really thought that next group really came in and changed the energy," Hodge said.Â
Â
Freshman point guard Miles Sadler just missed a double-double in his Mountaineer debut with 16 points and nine assists. Senior forward Brenen Lorient contributed 13 points, Martin Somerville tallied 12, Finley Bizjack and Javan Buchanan added 11 each, and Mouhamed Sylla scored 10, making all five of his field goal tries.
Â
Sylla also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
Â
Niagara did not make a free throw, missing all four of its attempts, and also did not grab an offensive rebound.
Â
Overall, West Virginia (1-0) had a 36-to-24 edge on the glass and made 13-of-30 from 3-point distance. Lorient, Sanon and Somerville had three triples each, while Sadler, Bizjack and Seydou Traore got the others.
Â
"In the second half, we were able to turn them over and make them miss and I thought our response was good," Hodge said. "We are still a new group together, but we do have experience with Brenen, Seydou, Finley and Martin, and I thought we finished the game the right way."
Â
All 13 players dressed and available for tonight's game saw action and nine got into the scoring column. Joson Sanon just missed reaching double figures with 9 points.
Â
"I think this is going to be a strength-in-numbers type of team," Hodge said. "We have a lot of different guys who can help us in a lot of different ways.
"The ability for this team to improve ... I thought we got better as this game went on, and I think we will continue to get better through our shared experiences," the coach added.
Â
Logan Woods led Niagara with 12 points.
Â
An announced crowd of 9,024 attended tonight's contest.
Â
West Virginia is back at Hope Coliseum on Friday night to face Stetson, which lost 85-72 to Clemson today in its season opener.
Â
Friday night's game will tip off at 7 pm and tickets are available through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Of note, according to MSN's David Kahn:
* Tonight marks just the fourth time in the last four seasons that West Virginia has scored 90+ points in a game and the Mountaineers did it just once last year against Coppin State with 91 points.
* The last time a West Virginia opponent failed to make a free throw was Delaware State on March 13, 2007.
* Tonight's 46 points scored by Niagara are the fewest West Virginia has allowed since holding Mercyhurst to 38 on Nov. 30, 2025.
* Niagara's 0 offensive rebounds tonight is believed to be a first for a Mountaineer opponent since the NCAA began adopting offensive rebounds as an official stat prior to the 1973-74 season.
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Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
Niag
WVU
FG%
.422
.525
3FG%
.400
.433
FT%
.000
.636
RB
24
36
TO
24
9
STL
2
13
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
6
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