West Virginia pulled off a gritty 59-54 win over Cincinnati on Thursday night, and while the final score tells part of the story, it’s the way the Mountaineers closed that deserves the spotlight.
Let’s start with Honor Huff, who turned the game on its head with 14 points in a flurry that sparked the comeback. Huff didn’t just score-he ignited the entire team. His bucket barrage came at a time when WVU desperately needed a spark, and he delivered with the confidence of a player who knew the moment was his.
Then there’s Amir Jenkins, who turned in what might be the best defensive performance of his college career. Jenkins was everywhere-fighting through screens, contesting shots, and making life miserable for Cincinnati’s ball handlers. His energy on the defensive end was contagious, and it helped set the tone for a second-half surge that flipped the game.
And DJ Thomas? After missing 10 straight from beyond the arc, he stepped up and buried two clutch threes in the final 4:05.
That’s the kind of mental toughness that coaches love and teammates rally around. When the moment got big, Thomas didn’t shy away-he rose to it.
Now, let’s be real: this wasn’t a wire-to-wire masterpiece. The Mountaineers came out flat-again.
They started 1-for-7 from the field and followed that up with back-to-back offensive fouls. Before fans could settle into their seats, WVU was staring at a 12-point deficit.
That’s now four of the last five games where they’ve trailed by double digits, and the fifth wasn’t much better-they were down eight in that one.
But here’s the thing: this was also the second time in eight games that WVU came back from a 10+ point hole to win. The other?
A road win at Arizona State. So while the slow starts are frustrating, the resilience is real-and it’s keeping their season alive.
Head coach Ross Hodge didn’t offer much new postgame. He said the team has talked about these sluggish openings “ad nauseam.”
And he’s right-they have. But what he didn’t say might be just as telling.
There’s an argument to be made that these slow starts aren’t quite as dire as they seem, at least not every time. Sometimes, the scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story.
So let’s dig into those opening possessions. In the first 6:41 of the game, WVU got up seven shots.
They weren’t all bad looks. They just didn’t fall.
And yes, the offensive fouls didn’t help, but this wasn’t a case of a team completely unraveling. It was more of a stumble out of the gate than a collapse.
Bottom line: West Virginia found a way to win. Again.
And they did it with timely shooting, gritty defense, and a refusal to fold when things looked bleak. If they can figure out how to start games the way they finish them, this team could still make some noise down the stretch.