Baylor's Defense Stifles West Virginia, Snaps Mountaineers’ Home Win Streak in Morgantown
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - In a game that felt like a grind from the opening tip, Baylor leaned into its defensive identity and walked out of the WVU Coliseum with a 63-53 win over West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective - and it marked yet another chapter in Baylor’s recent dominance in Morgantown.
With the win, the Bears have now taken nine of their 13 matchups at the Coliseum under head coach Scott Drew, giving them a .692 winning percentage in the building - the best mark of any team with at least 10 appearances in the arena’s history. That’s no small feat, especially considering the Coliseum had become a fortress for the Mountaineers, who were riding a 16-game home winning streak dating back to last season.
But streaks end, and Baylor made sure of it.
Defensive Pressure Turns the Tide
The story of the afternoon was Baylor’s defense - a relentless, swarming effort that disrupted West Virginia’s rhythm and made every possession a battle. The Mountaineers struggled to find any offensive consistency, especially after halftime. They hit just 9-of-28 shots in the second half, and if not for Brenen Lorient, things could’ve looked even worse.
Lorient was the lone bright spot for WVU, scoring 11 of the team’s 23 second-half points and finishing with a game-high 19 on 7-of-13 shooting. He also hit the team’s only 3-pointer after the break.
Outside of him, the Mountaineers shot just 11-of-37 from the field, and their backcourt couldn’t find the mark. Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff combined to shoot 4-of-20, with Huff going just 1-of-13.
“We were just too inefficient on offense to make up for not getting stops,” said head coach Ross Hodge. “You can survive poor shooting if you’re locking down defensively, but we didn’t execute on either end late in the game.”
Missed Opportunities and Momentum Shifts
Despite the struggles, West Virginia made a push midway through the second half. After trailing 38-30 at the break, the Mountaineers clawed back and cut the deficit to three with 11:29 left on a Chance Moore layup. The Coliseum came alive, and for a moment it felt like WVU might flip the script.
But the comeback fizzled. Turnovers and missed shots piled up, and Baylor capitalized, closing the game on a 16-9 run. Hodge pointed to two critical stretches - the start of the game and the moments after they cut it to three - as turning points.
“We had chances to cut it to one or tie it, but we missed some looks and turned the ball over,” Hodge said. “There were some possessions where we got clean looks - shots one foot from the rim, open threes from guys we trust - and they just didn’t fall. Then there were others where we didn’t give ourselves a real chance.”
Baylor Finds Just Enough Offense
Offensively, Baylor didn’t light it up either, shooting just 35.7% in the second half. But the Bears made timely plays and got balanced scoring from their core. Obi Agbim and Cameron Carr led the way with 16 points apiece, while Tounde Yessoufou added 11.
Carr also dominated the glass, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds and helping Baylor control the tempo when it mattered most. The Bears didn’t need a scoring explosion - they just needed to be steady, and that’s exactly what they were down the stretch.
What It Means Moving Forward
For Baylor, the win snaps a four-game skid and moves them to 12-9 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play. It’s a needed boost for a team that’s been fighting to find its footing in conference action.
And doing it in Morgantown, against a WVU team that hadn’t lost at home all season? That’s a confidence builder.
For West Virginia, the loss stings. The Mountaineers fall to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12, and more importantly, they lose their home-court aura - at least for now. The offense, particularly the backcourt, will need to regroup quickly, especially with a road trip to Cincinnati coming up on Thursday.
That’s the same Cincinnati team that beat Baylor just last week. If West Virginia wants to stay in the thick of the Big 12 race, it’ll need more than just Lorient carrying the load.
One thing’s clear: in a league this deep, there’s no room for off nights - especially when the defense isn’t there to bail you out.