Trailing by 13 points midway through the first half in their Big 12 contest at Arizona State, the Mountaineers had plenty of work ahead of themselves to collect their first win of the season away from Hope Coliseum.
However, West Virginia nearly erased that deficit by halftime and a second-half surge propelled WVU to their fourth conference victory of the season, 75-63 at Desert Financial Arena.
Treysen Eaglestaff followed up a 22-point effort in Saturday’s win over Colorado with a season-best 23-point performance.
West Virginia made just 6 of their first 19 shots from the floor in the first half, falling into a 26-13 deficit with 8:25 to play before halftime. The Mountaineers crept within a basket before intermission, buoyed by a last-second triple from Honor Huff. Arizona State led 37-35 at the break.
Jan 21, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“I was disappointed with our start,” said WVU head coach Ross Hodge on MSN Radio. “It was a step slow. I really felt fortunate at halftime to just be down two. With them shooting 56 percent and 50 percent from three, it was just like, man, we were really fortunate to do that.”
WVU assumed their first lead since the opening minutes of the game before the first media timeout of the second half. A three-pointer from Eaglestaff gave the Mountaineers a 43-42 lead. The advantage would change hands three more times before West Virginia took a lead they would not relinquish. A triple from Brenen Lorient put the Mountaineers back on top, 48-46. An 11-3 run, capped by a basket from Jasper Floyd, extended West Virginia’s lead to seven points at 53-46.
The Sun Devils (10-9, 1-5 Big 12) pulled within a basket with 8:50 to play with a three-point play from Anthony Johnson. However, Jasper Floyd scored five consecutive points for the Mountaineers, boosting the lead to seven points (58-51).
Consecutive baskets by Lorient before and after the final media timeout extended West Virginia’s cushion to 13 points at 70-57 and the lead remained in double digits for the rest of the game.
Eaglestaff made 8 of 14 shots from the field and 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. He also collected a team-best seven rebounds while tying a season-high with 38 minutes on the floor.
“He’s comfortable now. he understands that we need him to be aggressive. We need his shot-making. He really bailed us out in that first half, especially in that stretch where he kind of willed us back into the game.
Jan 21, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Treysen Eaglestaff (52) dunks the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“It should be an inspiration to all of us. To have hard times, don’t blame people. Don’t point the finger. Don’t blame coaches. Don’t blame your teammates. Just keep working, trusting the process, keep believing. That’s where basketball is such a metaphor for life.”
Lorient scored 15 points while making 7 of 11 shots from the field. 11 of his points came in the second half.
“I really challenged him early in the game. I didn’t think he had a great start. He has been with me. This group lets me coach them.”
Floyd added a dozen points and five rebounds.
“He had some monster defensive rebounds down the stretch of that game. It was awesome.”
Huff scored eight points, going 2-for-9 from the floor.
West Virginia shot 51 percent from the floor, marking the second consecutive game they made more than half of their shots from the field. The Mountaineers had 17 assists on their 27 made shots.
Maurice Odom led the Sun Devils with 17 points and eight assists.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Mountaineers were 12-0 at Hope Coliseum, 0-2 in true road games and 0-4 in neutral site contests. WVU has won four of their last five games after a Big 12-opening loss at No. 3 Iowa State on January 2.
The Mountaineers (13-6, 4-2) continue their two-game road trip Saturday when they visit Arizona. The Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Big 12) are the unanimous No. 1 team in this week’s AP poll. Tip time is set for 2 p.m.
“It is the Big 12. You don’t get to enjoy these very long. But we will enjoy this one tonight, for sure.”
