Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia wraps up its three-game homestand against Mercer on Thursday night at the Hope Coliseum before heading to Las Vegas next week to participate in the Players Era 8 Tournament.
The Mountaineers are undefeated after two impressive wins over Niagara and Stetson. In the 93-51 win over Stetson on Friday, Miles Sadler dropped a game-high 25 points. In his collegiate debut against Niagara earlier in the week, the freshman fell short of a double-double with 16 points and nine assists.
WVU has played every player dressed in both contests and several players have contributed in scoring. Joson Sanon has been a key contributor off the bench for the Mountaineers. The junior has totaled 27 points in two games, including six 3-pointers on Friday. Finley Bizjack has added 24.
WVU has started Sadler and Bizjack in the backcourt, with Brenen Lorient (6.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game), Utah transfer Seydou Traore (6.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Georgia Tech transfer Mouhamed Sylla (10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) in the frontcourt.
The Mountaineers’ defense has frustrated their first two opponents and Niagara had zero offensive rebounds.
The Bears are coming off a 97-71 overtime victory at Georgia Southern on Tuesday night. Mercer is 2-2 with its other win coming over Reinhardt. Both losses were at the hands of Virginia Tech and Davidson.
Quinton Perkins II is averaging 16.3 points this season. Derek Goodman averages 12.5 points while Tallahassee State transfer Shane Cherry and Wichita State transfer Karon Boyd both average 11.5 points. Indian Hills Community College standout KJ Lamonte averages 11 points.
“They’ve got really good guards that can space you,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “They do a good job of creating some gaps to flatten your defense out and let those guys play.”
Last year, Ryan Ridder led Mercer to a 19-13 overall record and second-place regular-season finish in the Southern Conference. In nine seasons as a head coach, which includes time at Bethune-Cookman and UT Martin, Ridder’s record is 131-126.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
The Mountaineers have the nation’s second-longest active winning streak at five games, and if it remains intact after Thursday night, WVU will meet Auburn, which owns the nation’s longest active winning streak at seven games, in Las Vegas.
Thursday night’s game against Mercer will tip off at 7 p.m. and be televised on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
