WVU Men’s Basketball (8-4) battled until the final second in the Cleveland Hoops Classic. Ohio State (8-2) had the last laugh inside Rocket Arena, burying a short jumper in the final seconds of 2OT to win 89-88. Read more: WVU fails on neutral ground again, falls to OSU in 2OT thriller
Another stellar performance from Honor Huff, reminiscent of WVU’s previous neutral-site outing, was not enough for the win. The Chattanooga transfer went 7-17 from the field and racked up 24 points in the loss.
WVU now sits at 0-4 in neutral-site contests, contrary to its 8-0 home record. Ohio State capitalized on Mountaineer woes in the second half and erased a 10-point halftime deficit.
First half
Jasper Floyd opened up the scoring with a triple, giving WVU an early 3-0 advantage. The teams traded barbs for the first 13 minutes of the contest before the Mountaineers caught fire.
Following mass substitutions, WVU turned a 19-19 tie into a 28-19 lead. The 9-0 run was capped off by a Treysen Eaglestaff three-pointer.
Devin Royal finally ended the Buckeye drought with a successful layup. The final four minutes featured minimal scoring, except for several trips to the charity stripe.
Related: Transfer portal update for WVU Football
Huff sealed a successful half with one final swish from deep. The Mountaineers led OSU at the break, 37-27.
Second half
The script flipped in the second half. Ohio State found its mojo and did not look back. The likes of Amare Bynum, Christoph Lilly, and John Mobley Jr. led the reign of terror against WVU.
The Mountaineers consistently led by nine to 12 points through the former portion of the second frame. OSU found its lanes and quickly climbed back into the contest.
WVU led by three with under two minutes to go, but two Buckeye free throws brought the scarlet and grey within one. Mobley Jr. gave Ohio State the advantage with a clutch triple.
Jackson Fields laid in a clutch two-pointer with 1:03 remaining in regulation. The game went to overtime tied at 68 apiece.
OT and 2OT
Huff hit the heat check three-pointer to get the Mountaineers going. Ohio State matched WVU in every facet, with the teams evening out at 9-9 in OT scoring. WVU and OSU were tied at 77, requiring a second overtime period.
The trends continued in the second extra period. Huff hit one final shot from deep, but it was eventually called a two-pointer. His foot was on the line.
Bruce Thornton came up clutch in the waning seconds, pulling back for a short jumper. Thornton gave the Buckeyes a one-point advantage with 3.3 seconds left on the clock.
WVU had one final chance to pull out the win, but the in-bound was stolen away by Colin White.
Four solid individual performances and an overall team shooting percentage of 40% (46% from deep) was not enough, again. All four of WVU’s losses thus far in the 2025-26 season have come on neutral ground, with two contests decided by three points or less.
Top performers
H. Huff (WVU): 24 points/5 assists
B. Lorient (WVU): 18 points (7-7 FG)/7 rebounds/3 assists
B. Thornton (OSU): 21 points/4 rebounds/4 assists
A. Bynum (OSU): 17 points/8 rebounds/3 assists/3 blocks
What’s next?
OSU takes the court again on December 20, playing host to a top-15 UNC Tar Heels squad. Tip-off for the CBS Sports Classic is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia.
WVU is back home on December 22 to face Mississippi Valley State in the non-conference finale. Catch every game on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations.
Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
