Utah Triumphs Over West Virginia
In a thrilling encounter on Wednesday night, Utah triumphed over West Virginia with a final score of 61-56, delivering a significant blow to the Mountaineers’ aspirations for the NCAA Tournament. Seydou Traore spearheaded Utah’s performance, contributing 17 points and pulling down six rebounds. Terrence Brown and Don McHenry also made crucial contributions, each adding 16 points to support the Utes, who managed to snap a seven-game losing streak with this victory.
Game Highlights
With this win, Utah improved its record to 10-16 overall and 2-11 in Big 12 play, having experienced a challenging stretch where they lost 12 of their last 13 contests. Notably, it marked Utah’s first true road win since January 15, 2025, when they secured a victory against TCU.
West Virginia’s offense featured reserve players Chance Moore and Honor Huff, each scoring 12 points, while Brenen Lorient chipped in 10 points. However, the Mountaineers struggled at the foul line, converting only 7 of 15 attempts compared to Utah’s 14 out of 21.
Crucial Moments
As the game neared its conclusion, Utah held a 59-56 lead with just 5.6 seconds remaining when Traore was intentionally fouled, but he missed both free throw attempts. This missed opportunity allowed West Virginia’s Jasper Floyd to grab the rebound. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, Floyd’s subsequent pass to Huff went out of bounds. Brown then cemented Utah’s win by successfully making two free throws.
The Utes had a solid start, leading 31-21 at halftime and extending their advantage to as much as 41-26 early in the second half with a strong 15-5 run. Despite West Virginia’s efforts to claw back into the game with a 16-6 scoring burst, they ultimately fell short in front of their home crowd. The loss not only diminishes the Mountaineers’ tournament outlook but also underscores the competitive challenges they face in the loaded Big 12, where they had already faced setbacks against notable teams such as Kansas, Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, and Texas Tech.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Utah will host UCF on Saturday, while West Virginia will travel to face TCU in their next match.
