West Virginia Overcomes Early Deficit to Roll Past Niagara in Season Opener
Miles Sadler scored 16 points to lead six players in double figures as West Virginia erased an early 10-point deficit and pulled away in the second half to open coach Ross Hodge’s second season with a 91-46 win over visiting Niagara on Monday night in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The game marked the first outing for the Mountaineers since winning the Crown tournament in April in Las Vegas. Playing at Hope Coliseum, West Virginia shook off a sluggish start that saw Niagara string together an 11-1 run capped by Brian Angeletti’s 3-pointer with 14:25 remaining in the first half, which gave the Purple Eagles a 16-6 lead.
The Mountaineers answered immediately with 21 straight points, taking a 27-16 lead on a triple by Brenen Lorient with 8:32 left in the opening period. Niagara trimmed the gap to 29-21 following a dunk by Ruey, but Joson Sanon responded with a 3-pointer to extend the margin to 35-21. West Virginia carried a 43-30 advantage into halftime.
West Virginia Outscores Niagara in Dominant Second-Half Surge
The game turned decisively lopsided after the intermission. West Virginia outscored Niagara 48-16 in the second half, shooting 57.1% over the final 20 minutes to finish at 52.5% overall from the field. Martin Somerville contributed all 12 of his points during this dominant second-half stretch.
Sadler, a five-star recruit, shot 6-of-14 from the field and tallied nine assists in 28 minutes of action, helping Hodge utilize a 13-player rotation. Lorient added 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, leading West Virginia to a 36-24 rebounding advantage.
Additional offensive output came from Finley Bizjack and Javan Buchanan, who scored 11 points each, while Mouhamed Sylla finished with 10 points and seven boards. The Mountaineers capitalized heavily on opponent mistakes, generating 24 points off turnovers and scoring 30 points off the bench, which included hitting 14-of-23 layups.
FINAL: West Virginia 91, Niagara 46 The Mountaineers open the 2026-27 season with a dominant 91-46 win over Niagara! WVU outscores the Purple Eagles 48-16 in the second half to secure the season-opening victory. 🏀 Miles Sadler leads the way with 16 points.@_wvsportsnation pic.twitter.com/NrIAYsmnCd
For Niagara, Logan Woods was the lone double-figure scorer with 12 points. The Purple Eagles shot 42.2% overall, went 8-of-20 from beyond the arc, attempted only four free throws, and committed 24 turnovers.
The game was effectively sealed when West Virginia strung together 15 points over a 3-minute and 12-second span, stretching their lead to 78-41 on another 3-pointer by Lorient with 7:16 left on the clock.
