Harlan Obioha scored a game-high 19 points to lead West Virginia to a 71-49 win over Pitt on Thursday in Morgantown, W. Va.
Honor Huff added 15 points, Jasper Floyd tallied 13 points and dished out seven assists and DJ Thomas chipped in 10 points off the bench for the Mountaineers (4-0).
Cameron Corhen had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Omari Witherspoon added 11 points for the Panthers (3-1).
The Mountaineers claimed the 192nd edition of the Backyard Brawl and their first win in the series since 2022. They took control of the yearly rivalry game with a 32-4 scoring run that spanned both halves.
The Mountaineers piled up a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint and a 9-0 edge on second-chance points.
Pitt took its biggest lead of the game at 21-14 on Corhen’s dunk at the 8:01 mark of the first half.
But Thomas connected on a 3-pointer that put the Mountaineers back on top at 24-23. It was part of 13 straight West Virginia Points that culminated with a Floyd layup as the Mountaineers took a 32-23 lead with 2:22 left in the first half.
Minor hit a pair of free throws for the first Pitt points in about 4 1/2 minutes. But the Mountaineers took a 34-25 halftime lead following two free throws by Obioha. West Virginia closed the first half on a 20-4 run.
The West Virginia rally carried through to the second half as Obioha’s jump hook kicked off a 12-0 scoring spurt. Treysen Eaglestaff’s 3-pointer pushed the West Virginia advantage to 46-25 and prompted a Pitt timeout.
A three by Pitt’s Roman Siulepa cut the West Virginia lead to 48-33 with 14:01 to play. It turned into a 15-4 response by the Panthers, who drew within 50-40 on Nojus Indrusaitis’ layup at the 11:03 mark.
However, the Mountaineers embarked on another run, scoring the next 13 points while Pitt went scoreless for 5:49 of game time.
Things got heated as Indrusaitis and Pitt coach Jeff Capel picked up technical fouls for arguing with the officials. West Virginia converted all four free throws for a 63-40 lead.
–Field Level Media
