Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Harlan Obioha scored a team-high 19 points as West Virginia rolled past Pitt 71–49 in the Backyard Brawl on Thursday night at Hope Coliseum.
Honor Huff added 15 points for the Mountaineers (4–0), while Jasper Floyd chipped in 13 and DJ Thomas finished with 10. The win gives WVU seven victories in the last nine meetings and extends its all-time series lead to 102–90.
Cameron Corhen posted 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers (3–1), and Omari Witherspoon added 11. Pitt shot just 37.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc.
WVU started fast, but the Panthers briefly surged ahead, taking a 21–14 lead with 8:01 remaining in the first half. From there, the Mountaineers took control. Huff drained a 3-pointer and Thomas followed with a layup to spark an 18–2 run over a four-minute stretch, helping WVU take a 34–25 advantage into halftime.
The Mountaineers carried that momentum into the second half, opening with a 14–0 burst capped by a Treysen Eaglestaff 3-pointer to push the lead to 46–25 with 16:32 left.
Pitt mounted a push, using three 3s and consecutive buckets from Corhen and Nojus Indrusaitis to trim the deficit to 50–40. But that was as close as the Panthers would get. WVU countered with a 13–0 run, highlighted by nine straight points from Huff — six at the free-throw line — to put the game out of reach.
The Mountaineers forced 12 turnovers that led to 21 points and held a 34–31 edge on the boards.
“The two areas we challenged our team going into the game were defending without fouling and outrebounding them,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “I thought our guys did a good job and made it hard on them all night.”
The Mountaineers recognized its Big 12 champion baseball team at halftime for its conference title and NCAA Super Regional appearance.
WVU concludes its homestand Monday night against Lafayette, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: Kelsie LeRose, WVSN
