MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A slow start proved too much to overcome for West Virginia on Wednesday night.
The Mountaineers fell into an early double-digit deficit and couldn’t complete another comeback in a 61-56 loss to Utah at Hope Coliseum. The Utes hit their first six shots, scored 18 of the game’s first 21 points and never trailed, snapping a 15-game road losing streak dating back to last season.
For a Utah team that entered with just one Big 12 win and a seven-game losing streak, it was a reset. For WVU, it was a reminder of how thin the margin has become.
“The start is one me,” Mountaineer head coach Ross Hodge said. “The coach has a couple of primary responsibilities, and the biggest one is making sure that your team is ready to play, and for whatever reason, we just weren’t.
“It wasn’t just about the shots going in; our team, at this point, is used to stretches of balls not going in, but to be out-rebounded by 10 at the half and (having) a hard time making them miss … you run the risk of this happening when you continuously dig yourself holes. Part of the reason why we dig ourselves holes is we get inconsistent play,” Hodge added.
The numbers backed it up. The Utes out-rebounded WVU 38-28 and grabbed 12 offensive boards, turning second chances into momentum. Utah also doubled WVU at the foul line, 14-7.
The Mountaineers have made a habit of rallying — including double-digit comeback wins in two of their last three games — but constantly playing from behind finally caught up with them.
Down 15 with 14:35 to play, WVU chipped away and cut the deficit to 53-51 on Treysen Eaglestaff’s basket with 3:59 remaining.
Then came two critical offensive rebounds by former Mountaineer James Okonkwo, leading to Terrance Brown’s basket with 2:33 left. Missed opportunities followed — a Jasper Floyd layup that wouldn’t fall and two point-blank misses from Brenen Lorient — as nearly 90 seconds ticked off the clock.
Don Mchenry’s free throws pushed the Utes ahead 57-51 before Jonathan Huff drilled a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 33 seconds left to make it a one-possession game.
Utah left the door cracked when Brown missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Huff’s contested step-back 3 was deflected by Seydou Traore. Brown was fouled with 10 seconds remaining and converted both free throws. Amir Jenkins answered quickly to cut it to three, but after a missed pair from Traore, Floyd’s attempt to find Huff for a last-second look sailed out of bounds.
Brown sealed it at the line.
Traore led the Utes (10-16, 2-11 Big 12) with 17 points, while Brown and Mchenry added 16 apiece. Huff and Chance Moore paced WVU(16-10, 7-6) with 12 points each.
“The way we are constructed this year it’s got to be surrounded by the defense, and they started the game 15-3 right away by the first media (timeout),” Hodge said. “You give up 15 in the first four minutes, and then in the next 36 minutes, you give up 45 for the rest of the game.”
The Mountaineers will try to regroup quickly as they head to TCU on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tip, set to air on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
Photo credit: WVU Athletics
