Miles Sadler scored 25 points and Joson Sanon added 18 off the bench to power West Virginia to a 91-53 victory over Stetson on Friday night at Hope Coliseum. The Mountaineers seized control early and never relented, building a 43-30 halftime lead before clamping down defensively to hold the Hatters to just 23 points in the second half.
Sadler, a freshman from Brantford, Ontario and the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with West Virginia, carved up the Stetson defense with an efficient 11-for-16 shooting performance while dishing out six assists. Second-year head coach Ross Hodge watched his squad shoot 50 percent from the field as a team and knock down 13-of-31 attempts from beyond the arc.
“We feel confident when the ball leaves just about anybody’s hands that it’s going in,” Hodge said after the game.
The offensive explosion was fueled largely by the backcourt tandem of Sadler and Sanon, who combined for 43 points on 17-for-25 shooting. Sanon caught fire as a reserve in the first half, connecting on three consecutive 3-point possessions to stretch a tight contest into a comfortable double-digit margin. When Stetson briefly answered with an 8-0 run to pull within six points late in the first half, Sadler responded with seven straight points of his own to restore order.
Stetson (0-3) struggled to find consistent offense against West Virginia’s mounting defensive pressure after the break. Sean Morgan led the Hatters with 15 points off the bench, sinking five 3-pointers, while Collin Kuhl chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds. However, the Hatters shot just 8-for-32 in the second half and hit only 7-of-20 free throws, allowing the Mountaineers to cruise down the stretch and secure their third win in four historical meetings against Stetson dating back to 1982.
West Virginia dominated the glass with a 46-32 rebounding advantage, converting 13 forced turnovers into 21 points on the other end. Finley Bizjack added 13 points and Mouhamed Sylla contributed 11 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Mountaineers, who finished the night shooting 16-of-23 from the charity stripe.
The Mountaineers look to continue their early-season momentum next Thursday when they host Mercer at home, while Stetson hits the road to face Howard.
Mountaineers go for 91 again as they improve to 2-0 on the young season. Freshman sensation, Miles Sadler scored 25 & Joson Sanon continued to knock down shots from beyond the arc, hitting 6 of his 8 threes. Troy breaks it all down in Ep379. #WVU #CollegeBasketball #Mountaineers pic.twitter.com/izBJFWgDxE
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#WVU goes 2-0 to start the year as they defeat Stetson 91-53. Miles Sadler led the Mountaineers (2-0) with 25 points (11-16 FG; 3-6 3FG) 6 assists and 4 rebounds, Joson Sanon had 18 points on 6-8 shooting from deep. Sean Morgan led the Hatters (0-3) with 15 points. pic.twitter.com/YdwzaUXaYb
