Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Treysen Eaglestaff scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds as West Virginia thumped Mississippi Valley State 86-51 on Monday night at the Hope Coliseum.
Honor Huff added 13 points, and freshmen DJ Thomas and Amir Jenkins contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Harlan Obioha recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
The Mountaineers (9-4) never trailed after Huff opened the scoring with a 3-pointer just 51 seconds into the game. WVU built a lead early and never looked back, outscoring the Delta Devils 23-6 in a decisive stretch late in the first half to take a 34-16 advantage.
The Mountaineers shot 54 percent from the field and 44 percent from three, while holding Mississippi Valley State (1-12) to 34 percent shooting and just 1-of-9 from behind the arc. Michael James was the only Delta Devil to reach double figures with 14 points.
“I thought from about the 15-minute mark to the 10-minute mark of the first half we settled in, moved the ball and got some shots to go in,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “We played fairly clean game for the most part with only five turnovers and got some solid contributions from the two freshmen in the first half. That’s really what gave us the separation was Amir and DJ in the first half and we got to see what those guys are made of.”
It was the eighth time this season the Mountaineers have held an opponent to 60 points or fewer.
Senior Chance Moore did not play in tonight’s game as a precaution.
WVU finished non-conference play with a perfect 9-0 record at home and now turns its focus to Big 12 play, opening at No. 3 Iowa State on Jan. 2. The Cyclones have started the season 12-0.
Photo credit: WVU Athletics
