Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia looks to keep rolling at home as the Mountaineers welcome Coppin State to Hope Coliseum on Wednesday night. WVU is riding a six-game home win streak and comes in at 6-2 overall after Sunday’s 70–38 rout of Mercyhurst.
The Mountaineers again flexed the nation’s top scoring defense, holding the Lakers to 37.5 percent shooting and only 16 points after halftime. It was the fewest points allowed in Morgantown since the “Press Virginia” era — when WVU also held Coppin State to 38 back on Dec. 20, 2017.
“I thought our attention to detail was good and our communication was good,” Mountaineers coach Ross Hodge said. “We were switching a lot, and so obviously, you’re going to be guarding different people. I thought as the game went on, we did a better job of communicating that clearly.”
WVU enters tonight ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (57.5 ppg allowed) and No. 1 in defensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom. The Mountaineers are also finally back at full strength with the return of senior forward Jackson Fields, who missed the first seven games. Fields posted nine points, three boards and two assists in 11 minutes on Sunday.
“When Jackson got hurt in the summer… we were disjointed,” Hodge said. “You play those first five games without Chance Moore and Jackson, so you have eight players in your rotation and that limits what you can do in practice. (Fields’ return) allowed us to have some competitive practices against ourselves.”
Offensively, WVU continues to lean on its balance. Seven different players have led the team in scoring this season, most recently Moore with 11 against Mercyhurst. Five players — Brenen Lorient, Jasper Floyd, Honor Huff, DJ Thomas and Treysen Eaglestaff — have all posted 20-point games. Huff leads the Mountaineers at 15.6 points per game, while Lorient adds 11.0 and a team-best 6.3 rebounds. Eight WVU players average at least 7.3 points.
Coppin State arrives at 2-8, ranked No. 364 in KenPom, and coming off a narrow 68–65 win over Rider. The Eagles are 1-5 on the road and 1-8 in games decided by double digits. Coppin State does score 67.4 points per game — nearly 10 more than WVU typically allows.
The Eagles are led by DeMariontay Hall’s 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds, with Khali Horton adding 9.1 per game. CSU has legitimate size with 6-8 Horton, 6-7 Hall and 6-9 Tyler Koenig in the frontcourt, and they rank No. 146 nationally in average height. Coppin State also plays a deep rotation, with nearly half its minutes coming off the bench, as third-year coach Larry Stewart continues to search for lineup combinations.
One familiar face will be 6-7 forward Taj Thweatt, who spent two seasons at WVU before transferring to Fairmont State and eventually joining Coppin State. He’s been limited by injuries this season but could see minutes off the bench.
Fans attending Wednesday’s game are encouraged to bring a canned good for the Mountaineers’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee food drive. A free women’s basketball ticket voucher will be offered in return. “Happy Hour” concession prices run from 5:30 p.m. until the 7 p.m. tipoff and televised on ESPN +.
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks- All-Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
