The West Virginia men’s basketball team (13-6, 4-2) picked up a crucial win on the road Wednesday night in Tempe after taking down the Arizona State Sun Devils 75-63. This marked the Mountaineers’ first win outside of Morgantown this season. Read more: WVU secures first road win after taking down Arizona State 75-63.
Treysen Eaglestaff paced West Virginia with 23 points, marking his second consecutive game as the team’s leading scorer. Brenen Lorient added 15 points to help in the winning effort.
First half
West Virginia’s Harlan Obioha converted a layup for the game’s opening points following an Arizona State miss on the opening possession. Both teams traded baskets on the following drives, with Noah Meeusen capping it off with a three-pointer for the Sun Devils.
That would be the hottest either team looked for the majority of the first half. Neither team could get much going as the Mountaineers continuously missed shot after shot. For Arizona State, it was just doing enough to maintain a sizeable lead throughout most of the first half.
Early on, it was Massamba Diop keeping the Sun Devils on the scoring board with efficient shots down in the paint. Whether it was before an Eaglestaff three or a DJ Thomas jumper, Diop’s towering presence kept the home team in it. At one point, Arizona State led 26-13.
Related: WVU’s massive fourth quarter propels them past Arizona State, 53-43
After the 8-minute timeout, West Virginia had its best run since the opening minute. Eaglestaff hit a three, and Lorient followed it up with a layup on the next possession. Shortly after, Chance Moore followed it up with two free throws.
That run wouldn’t end there, though, as Eaglestaff continued to pour it on with back-to-back threes. Jasper Floyd soon joined with a steal on the defensive end and a three on the other end.
After that run, the Mountaineers had completely erased the deficit. Right before the half ended, Honor Huff hit his first three of the night, making the score 37-35 in favor of Arizona State.
Second half
The second half was much the same as the first, with both teams struggling to consistently score points. Maurice Odom’s difficult 12-foot jumper ignited a person 5-0 run that knotted the score at 14:37 remaining in the half.
However, Eagletsaff helped to tame that short burst with another three. Minutes later, both teams cooled off again. Chance Moore ended the long scoreless streak with a free throw and then a tough and-one moments later. In between that, Lorient added a much-needed three-pointer. Floyd continued the run with a layup, which gave WVU a 53-46 lead.
Diop helped the Sun Devils get back into it with a dunk and a hook shot from seven feet away from the basket. Eaglestaff quickly put that run to bed with a three-pointer on the following possession. He then added three points the hard way after getting fouled on a layup.
Related: Player spotlight: Riley Makalusky, the underrated Mountaineer
With just 4:03 left in the game, Lorient connected on a short jumper, which gave the Mountaineers a 66-56 lead. Odom and Meeusen did all they could to try to keep the Sun Devils in it, but it just wasn’t enough.
The last four minutes of the game saw West Virginia consistently answer every final blow Arizona State had to offer. Huff contributed at the end with a couple of free throws and a three-pointer to end his rare cold night with just eight points.
Lorient also helped at the end on the charity stripe, as well as hitting a tough 17-foot turnaround jumper.
After Odom made a last-ditch effort layup, the final buzzer rang with WVU winning 75-63. After owning a 0-6 record on the road, WVU ended its winless streak after being down for almost half of the game.
Top performers
WVU- Treysen Eaglestaff: Led all scorers with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
WVU- Brenen Lorient: Impacted the game in multiple ways with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
ASU- Maurice Odum: Led Arizona State with 17 points and eight assists.
What’s next
West Virginia will continue its trip in Arizona when it travels across the state to Tucson to face off against the No. 1 ranked Arziona Wildcats. They remain unbeaten to start the year and sit on top of the Big 12 with a 6-0 record in conference play.
That game is scheduled for Saturday, January 24, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. ET.
As always, make sure to stay up to date with WVU basketball and all athletics at West Virginia University right here on wvsportsnation.com.
