MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU (17-12, 8-8 Big 12) upset No. 19 BYU Cougars at Hope Coliseum on Saturday, February 28. They got a massive win against a ranked opponent and showed heart after dropping three games in a row. Honor Huff and Brenen Lorient led the way for the Mountaineers with 19 and 18 points, respectively. WVU had five players in double-digits, and made 17 of 22 free throws in the upset victory. Read more: WVU upsets No. 19 BYU, 79-71.
WVU changed the game on the offensive glass. They had 18 offensive rebounds and 39 total rebounds. BYU only had 29 rebounds, and eight on offense. The Mountaineers converted those offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points.
“DJ [Thomas] made some big shots and had some great finishes with some composure,” Ross Hodge said. “He’s so calm and has such a calm demeanor.”
Lorient had seven offensive rebounds and shot 50% from the field. He chipped in two blocks and one steal. He also guarded AJ Dybantsa for most of the night, alongside Chance Moore.
First half
Jasper Floyd got WVU on the board first with a floater in the lane before Robert Wright III answered with a layup on the other end. Jasper Floyd found Harlan Obioha in the lane for a dunk following an offensive rebound by Brenen Lorient. AJ Dybantsa turned the ball over for BYU the first time he touched the ball, and Floyd nailed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.
Wright scored a layup for the Cougars following the first media timeout, to make the score 7-6 in favor of WVU. They took the lead on their following possession with another Wright layup late in the shot clock. Aleksej Kostić made a three-pointer to extend BYU’s lead to four points, as WVU took its scoring drought past five minutes. Floyd ended the drought with a floater after Chance Moore blocked Dybantsa on the prior possession.
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Moore scored the tying basket for WVU to knot the game up at 11 points. Wright made both free throws to give the Cougars the lead back, but Lorient made two on the other end to tie the game again. Dybantsa scored his first points of the game on the following possession with a jumper in the lane. The Cougars regained the lead with a three-pointer from Kostić, and Wright followed it with a three-pointer of his own. That made the score 21-17.
Late run by WVU
Honor Huff was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and made all three attempts from the line. DJ Thomas tied the game and gave WVU the lead with an old-fashioned and-one. Huff made a layup and followed with a three-pointer to give WVU a 28-22 lead. Thomas made a three-pointer late in the shot clock and extended the Mountaineers’ lead to seven points. Thomas made another three-pointer on the next possession to get the lead to double digits.
Dybantsa missed a three-pointer on the other end, and Moore got the ball out quickly on the fast break off the outlet from Floyd. Moore found Thomas running the floor for the dunk, marking his eighth consecutive point.
Floyd backed down his defender following a BYU turnover, which made the score 38-24. It also extended WVU’s 18-2 run over six minutes, and BYU went over seven minutes without a field goal. Chance Moore made a foul-line extended jumper as the shot clock expired to give WVU a 40-26 lead, which they took into the locker room.
At the break
DJ Thomas led the way for WVU in the first half with 11 points, shooting four of four from the field. He made both of his three-pointers. Jasper Floyd tallied nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the first half. Honor Huff also had eight points, but shot one of five from behind the arc. WVU shot 44.1% from the field, and four of 13 (30.8%) from three.
Robert Wright III led BYU with 14 points. He also had three rebounds and two assists. WVU held AJ Dybantsa to only four points in the first half, and he averages 25.1 points per game on the season. He also had three turnovers. BYU shot 42.1% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc. The Cougars had nine turnovers and 13 rebounds, which put them six behind the Mountaineers.
Second half
Kennard Davis Jr. started the scoring in the second half after a shooting foul on Harlan Obioha. He made both at the line, and Dybantsa made a layup after a WVU miss. Kostić made a three-pointer for BYU after a turnover from Huff. BYU started the half on a 7-0 run, which prompted a timeout from WVU coach Ross Hodge.
Treysen Eaglestaff scored his first points of the game with a three-pointer out of the timeout. Huff assisted the shot and gave WVU a double-digit lead. Kostić cut into the lead with a second-chance three-pointer after an offensive rebound by Keba Keita. Lorient converted a layup off a nice dish in the lane by Huff to give WVU a nine-point lead.
DJ Thomas was unable to convert an and-one opportunity, but extended the lead by finishing through contact. Huff found him in the lane on a drive, marking his third assist of the second half. Dybantsa knocked down a three-pointer on the other end following an offensive rebound by Khadim Mboup.
Honor Huff answered with a step-back three-pointer late in the shot clock, which brought the large crowd to their feet. AJ Dybantsa made a jumper on the other end, but Chance Moore made a layup to bring the WVU lead to 11. Dybantsa scored again for BYU, marking his ninth point of the quarter (13 total).
Moore was fouled on a drive to the basket and converted both from the charity stripe. They gave WVU an 11-point lead, 54-43. Wright made two free throws on the other end to cut the deficit to single digits. Lorient used a pump fake to get his defender in the air, and scored an easy layup to get the lead back to 11.
Mountaineers kept the Cougars at bay
The final 10 minutes of the game were kicked off with two free throws by Honor Huff, which extended the lead to 13. Dybantsa used beautiful footwork on the other end to score in the paint. He earned a trip to the line on BYU’s next possession, as both teams were in the bonus with nine minutes remaining. He made both free throws, bringing the Cougars within nine points. Huff quickly extended the lead back to 11, going coast to coast and making a layup.
Wright brought BYU within seven points after a steal-and-score. Huff made a three-pointer on the following possession after an offensive rebound by Brenen Lorient. Davis made a three-pointer after a Lorient jumper, putting WVU ahead 65-58. Lorient scored again with a dropstep and a hook shot off the glass.
The Mountaineers could not stop the BYU offense, as Wright made a driving layup on the other end. Lorient answered again, this time with a three-pointer. Wright made a three-pointer in response, as the Cougars kept hanging around. Keita scored three points the old-fashioned way, which pulled BYU within five points with three minutes to play.
Dybantsa made a three-pointer for BYU, cutting the lead to one possession. Lorient made a driving layup following a timeout from WVU, which gave them some breathing room with a minute and a half to play. Dybantsa missed a three-pointer on the other end, but Keita got a steal following a Moore rebound and scored a layup. Huff turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, but Moore stole it back on BYU’s fast break. Huff made one of two from the line, and Dybantsa missed on the other end. BYU kept fouling, and WVU converted at the line to close out the game, 79-71.
Top performers
- H. Huff (WVU): 19 points/6 assists/2 rebounds/1 steal
- B. Lorient (WVU): 18 points/9 rebounds/3 assists/2 blocks/1 steal
- R. Wright III (BYU): 23 points/4 rebounds/4 assists/3 steals
- A. Dybantsa (BYU): 20 points/7 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
What’s next?
WVU has two games remaining on the regular season schedule. They travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to play Kansas State on March 3 at 8 p.m. EST. The final game of the regular season is on March 6 at 8 p.m. EST against UCF, and it is Senior Night.
All Mountaineer basketball games are broadcast across the John Fredericks Media Network. The game will air on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations.
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