The West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2, 0-0) will square off against the Mercyhurst Lakers (0-7, 0-0) on Friday. Let’s look at which squad will come out on top. Read more: WVU Mountaineers vs. Mercyhurst Lakers Preview – Dec. 5, 2025.
Tipoff
When: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 @ 7:00 PM EST
Where: Hope Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
TV: ESPN+
WVU looks to bounce back from a disappointing showing against Villanova
After winning their first six contests, the Mountaineers find themselves amid a two-game losing streak. Their latest setback includes an 81-59 defeat at the hands of the Villanova Wildcats.
Read: Turnovers and a cold start cost WVU in 59-81 loss to Villanova
West Virginia trailed by 11 points (28-17) after the opening quarter and 48-35 at the break. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, things did not improve in the second half. Villanova outscored the home team by a 33-24 margin over the final 20 minutes. This included a stretch in which WVU produced only eight points in the final frame.
Gia Cooke was one of two players who reached double figures for the Mountaineers. She finished with 20 points and four rebounds, but shot 5-for-16 from the floor. Kierra Wheeler added 10 points while collecting eight rebounds. She connected on three of her eight shot attempts. The Wildcats’ defense was the major takeaway in this contest. They held WVU to 33 percent shooting overall (19-for-58) and 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Villanova also converted 16 turnovers into 22 points. Perhaps a matchup against a winless opponent is just what the Mountaineers need on the heels of back-to-back losses.
Mercyhurst is searching for its first win of the season
After losing their first six games by an average of 34 points per outing, the Mercyhurst Lakers dropped their seventh straight game — a 73-71 loss to Robert Morris on Wednesday. Despite their winless record, Mercyhurst didn’t go down without a fight. After trailing by a 35-28 margin at the break, the Lakers remained within striking distance for the entire game. But although they played better in the second half — outscoring Robert Morris 43-38 — it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing its seventh consecutive game.
Jenna Van Schaik paced the Lakers’ offense with 28 points and three assists. She shot 9-for-14 from the field and converted nine of 11 attempts from the charity stripe. Cici Hernandez contributed 19 points on 6 of 16 overall and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. The Lakers were outrebounded 36-16 and outscored 48-26 in the paint.
WVU vs. Mercyhurst: Who has the edge?
Given the fact that the Lakers have yet to win a game this season, WVU should have the advantage in this matchup.
Prediction: Western Virginia
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