WVU Basketball Falls in Double OT to Ohio State After Blowing 16-Point Lead

WVU basketball lost a double-overtime thriller despite leading by 16 points in the second half and a 24-point performance by senior guard Honor Huff.

Senior guard Jasper Floyd put WVU on the board to start with a three-pointer from the left wing. Buckeye sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. equalized it with his own three-pointer at the 16:31 mark.

Senior forward Brenen Lorient reclaimed the lead for WVU with a three-pointer to make the score 8-7.

Ohio State took the lead again with a 4-0 swing which included senior guard Bruce Thornton Jr.’s first field goal of the game.

The two teams traded blows until WVU went on a 12-2 run which saw senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff. make his first field goal of the game with a corner three. He was 0-6 from the floor before that shot at the 6:56 mark to cap off the run with a score of 28-19.

The Buckeyes brought the score within seven with four straight points from senior center Christoph Tilly. However, Huff made his first three of the game with a corner three-pointer to make the score 37-27 going into halftime.

Lorient opened the second half by finishing a lob with a dunk over a defender. He had another at the 17:06 mark for a 41-31 lead.

WVU kept Ohio State’s scoring attempts at bay before going on an 8-0 run which included back-to-back threes from Huff and senior forward Jackson Fields for a 51-35 advantage.

Ohio State cut the lead to single digits at 53-44 with an and-one layup with the free throw by freshman forward Amare Bynum.

Senior center Harlan Obioha made two free throws, but Ohio State went on another 8-0 run over a 4:22 scoreless period for WVU. The Buckeyes cut the lead to 55-52.

Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler was called for a technical foul at the eight-minute media timeout. Huff made two free throws as a result and Lorient made one off of the preceding foul. Huff was fouled in transition for another pair of free throws to complete a five-point run for WVU.

Fifth-year guard Chance Moore ended WVU’s field goal drought with a dunk at the 6:25 mark for a 62-55 lead.

The Buckeyes cut the lead down to two points before Huff made a clutch step-back three to extend the lead with 2:50 remaining.

Ohio State retook the lead off a 7-0 run capped off by a three-point heave from Mobley. Fields scored a layup on the other end to tie the game at 68-68, which was the score going into overtime.

The Mountaineers had a chance in transition to score and take the lead before the end of regulation, but an offensive foul was called against Floyd.

Huff drilled a three-pointer to open overtime scoring. Ohio State took the lead again with two free throws from Thornton.

Huff continued to make plays down the stretch, including a leaning three-pointer from the left wing for a 77-76 lead. Ohio State made a free throw, forcing double overtime.

The Mountaineers and Buckeyes traded scores until the final minute, when Ohio State went up by two with a jumper from Thornton.

Lorient responded with his third three-pointer, giving WVU a 86-85 lead.

Huff took a turn being the hero, hitting a fading shot from the corner to give WVU an 88-87 lead with 11 seconds remaining.

Thornton played spoiler to the Mountaineers, as he hit a mid-range jumper in the final seconds for an 89-88 win.

WVU basketball will take the court again at 7 p.m. Dec. 22 when it host Mississippi Valley State at the Hope Coliseum.

Find more coverage of WVU basketball at WV Sports Now.