Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Honor Huff scored 23 points as West Virginia fended off Campbell, 73-65, on Thursday night at the Hope Coliseum.
Treysen Eaglestaff and Harlan Obioha each tallied 12 points and six rebounds, while Brenen Lorient nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, and four assists. DJ Thomas added 10 points for the Mountaineers (2-0).
For the second straight night, WVU was outrebounded, as the Fighting Camels held a 40-36 advantage on the glass.
Dovydas Butka led Campbell with 14 points, followed by Cam Gregory with 11. Chris Fields Jr. chipped in 10.
The Camels, who fell to No. 24 Wisconsin earlier this week, battled WVU in a physical contest. Campbell made 25 of 32 attempts from the free-throw line, which helped compensate for its poor shooting night. The Camels shot 35% from the field and just 14% from beyond the arc.
“I thought we defended well, but statistically we just fouled too much—and that’s what they do,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “They drive the ball with physicality, and we needed to play just a little bit better without the fouls. If you look at their percentages—35% from 2 and 14% from 3, only had five assists and 12 turnovers—we just fouled them too much and couldn’t come up with defensive rebounds when we really needed them.”
WVU led 33-25 at halftime, but Campbell opened the second half with a layup and a pair of free throws to pull within five. Butka trimmed the deficit to 37-36 with 15:11 remaining.
The teams traded baskets until Huff drilled a three-pointer with 5:06 left to extend WVU’s lead to 57-49. Huff later hit a corner three with 2:17 remaining to make it 64-56.
Campbell continued to battle, as DJ Smith’s layup cut the lead to four, but Lorient’s emphatic dunk with 1:14 to play pushed the Mountaineers ahead 66-60. Huff and Lorient then sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Huff surpassed the 1,500-point mark for his collegiate career in the victory.
West Virginia returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Lehigh at 3 p.m. (ET).
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks- All Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
