West Virginia is gearing up for a Sunday afternoon matchup against Lehigh at Hope Coliseum, concluding its first week of the season.
The Mountain Hawks enter this contest after a dominant 91-52 win over Division III Valley Forge on Thursday night in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Freshman guard Andrew Urosevic, standing at 6-foot-3, led the charge with 23 points in that game. Nasir Whitlock, who recorded a team-high 18 points in Lehigh”s season-opening 75-57 loss to second-ranked Houston, chipped in 12 points on Thursday.
Despite their record of 0-2, Lehigh displayed resilience by outscoring the Cougars 34-31 in the second half after trailing 44-23 at halftime. The Mountain Hawks were predicted to finish eighth in the Patriot League”s Preseason Poll, just ahead of Holy Cross and Army. Veteran coach Brett Reed, now in his 19th season at Lehigh, has an overall record of 287-261 and has guided the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012. Notably, Lehigh enjoyed a successful 27-8 season in 2012. Since then, Reed has led the Mountain Hawks to 20-win seasons in 2013, 2017, and 2019. Their last visit to Morgantown was on December 30, 2018, when West Virginia secured a 78-68 victory.
This Sunday marks Lehigh”s fourth trip to Morgantown and the sixth all-time meeting between these two programs, with West Virginia currently holding a perfect 5-0 record against the Mountain Hawks.
West Virginia improved its record to 2-0 following a 73-65 win over Campbell on Thursday night. Guard Honor Huff was instrumental in the victory, scoring a game-high 23 points, including 4 of 9 from beyond the arc and an impressive 9 of 10 from the free throw line. The Mountaineers shot 40.4% from the field but were narrowly outrebounded 40-36 by the Camels.
Coach Ross Hodge discussed the challenges of the season, stating, “We”re going to be in a lot of close games this year, and the more you can kind of feel that pressure, and we”re feeling it, and I”m trying to loosen us up a little bit.” He added, “We”re getting great shots from some of the best shooters in the country, and they want it to go in so bad, and there”s just a little bit of a squeeze that we”re feeling right now, and I think we”ll settle in, but we”re playing hard defensively.”
Forward Brenen Lorient showcased his all-around game with 12 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, and four assists in 31 minutes against Campbell. He began the season with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds in West Virginia”s 70-54 win over Mount St. Mary”s.
For the second consecutive game, Hodge rolled out a starting lineup featuring Huff, Jasper Floyd, and Treysen Eaglestaff in the backcourt, complemented by Lorient and Harlan Obioha in the frontcourt. Junior guard Morris Ugusuk, freshman forward DJ Thomas, and freshman guard Amir Jenkins provided valuable contributions off the bench.
Notably absent from Thursday”s game were St. Bonaventure transfer Chance Moore, who is sitting out the first five games per NCAA transfer regulations, and Troy transfer Jackson Fields, who is recovering from a preseason hand injury.
Tickets for Sunday”s game are still available for purchase at WVUGAME.com. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. The Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield will provide radio coverage starting at 2 p.m. with the Coca Cola Mountaineer Pregame Show, followed by regular network coverage at 2:30 p.m., featuring Tony Caridi and Brad Howe on various stations across West Virginia, as well as online through WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
