West Virginia defeated Utah by a score of 72-61 backed by big performances from Amani Hansberry and Javon Small.
West Virginia welcomed back former coach Josh Eilert with a standing ovation pre-game. Eilert, in his lone season as the head coach after being named the interim coach last season, led WVU to a 9-23 record.
The Mountaineers got off to a hot start and never looked back, led by Joseph Yesufu, who had a team-high 10 points in the first half. The Mountaineers were able to force six Utah turnovers in the first half that led to 12 of their 36 points. WVU shot at an extremely high clip in the first half, shooting 48.3% from the field and 40% from the three-point line, which is something that they have struggled with recently.
Not much changed in the second half for WVU as they were able to keep their lead for the rest of the game. Amani Hansberry, Jonathan Powell, and Javon Small led the charge offensively in the second half with 11 points for Small and Powell and 10 for Hansberry, who led the team with 17 in total. The Mountaineers shot 48% from the field and 33% from the arc in the second half.
The Mountaineers, now improving their season record to 15-8, will host BYU on Feb. 11 at 2:00 pm EST.
