Morgantown, West Virginia – The Mountaineers began the 2026-27 college basketball season in emphatic fashion, defeating Niagara 91-46 at Hope Coliseum on Tuesday night. The victory marked the program’s eighth straight season‑opening win, the longest streak since 2018.
Historic defensive effort
West Virginia’s defense set a new school record by allowing zero offensive rebounds for the entire game – a first since the NCAA began tracking that statistic in the 1976-77 season. Head coach Ross Hodge praised the effort, saying, “We did a good job cleaning the backboard up and forcing them to miss. The second half we really made them miss, not just hoped they would.”
Freshman Miles Sadler makes an impact
Five‑star recruit Miles Sadler, a native of Bella Vista, Arizona, logged 31 minutes and posted a solid stat line: 16 points, nine assists, three steals and a single three‑point make out of six attempts. Sadler’s drive to the basket early in the game resulted in a lay‑up after beating three defenders, and he later delivered a no‑look pass to Javan Buchanan for another easy score.
Reflecting on his debut, Sadler said, “I’ve definitely had my back against the wall many times growing up and playing in high school. It’s always the same – rally up my troops and go fight back.”
Mountaineers dominate the paint
After Niagara jumped to a 16-6 lead in the opening six minutes, WVU responded with a 21‑0 run that effectively ended any early drama. The run featured eight consecutive points in the paint, highlighted by Sadler’s aggressive drives and Buchanan’s quick finishes.
WVU’s second‑half defense held Niagara to just 16 points over the final 20 minutes, while forcing 24 turnovers. The Mountaineers capitalized on those mistakes, scoring an equal number of points off the turnovers.
Scoring contributions across the roster
Six Mountaineers reached double figures. Brenen Lorient led with 13 points, shooting 3‑of‑5 from three‑point range. Finley Bizjack and Javan Buchanan each added 11 points, and Martin Somerville contributed 12 points on an efficient 3‑of‑4 shooting from beyond the arc. The team finished with 13 three‑pointers overall.
Somerville noted, “Their defense opened up a lot of opportunities for us. It wasn’t necessarily our game plan to get up a lot of threes, but we trusted our shooters and it paid off.”
Looking ahead
The Mountaineers will host Stetson at 7 p.m. on Friday, continuing their home‑court schedule. With a dominant opening performance and a historic defensive milestone, WVU looks poised to contend strongly in the upcoming season.
Original reporting: Herald-Standard – latest news for Uniontown, Pennsylvania — read the source article.
