The WVU men’s basketball team will have the opportunity to close their season with a victory Sunday night after the Mountaineers pulled away from Creighton, 87-70 in the semifinal round of the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
WVU (20-14) will face Oklahoma (20-15) in the final Sunday at 5:30 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX. The Sooners defeated Baylor, 82-69 in Saturday’s opening semifinal.
“We’re just a big family,” said WVU senior forward Treysen Eaglestaff. “I think that aspect of our team, how we play and how together we are, that’s what it takes. It is April. It has been a long year for us. We just have to stay together. That’s what helps us in these wins.”
“They have just been so committed and so dedicated. They have done everything we have asked them to do every step of the way. It is fun to see them be rewarded this time of the year,” said WVU head coach Ross Hodge.
“I am so thankful and appreciative to have one more meal tonight, a couple more film sessions, one more shoot around, one more walk-through, that is what you are fighting for this time of the year.”
Five Mountaineers scored in double digits in a balanced offensive attack. Freshman DJ Thomas led the way for WVU with an 20-point performance. He connected on 9-of-14 shots from the floor.
“DJ is an exceptional player,” Lorient said. “In the first half, he does a little bit of everything. He is a young player and for him to be so far ahead as he is now as a freshman, he is going to be a great player. He did so well today and I am so happy for him.”
Treysen Eaglestaff (16), Brenen Lorient (15), Honor Huff (13) and Chance Moore (10) also scored in double digits. Moore added a game-best 13 rebounds to post a double-double.
Harlan Obioha added nine points and five rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor.
West Virginia connected on 12-of-30 shots from three-point range, their best shooting performance from beyond the arc since the Arizona State game on January 27.
West Virginia led wire-to-wire in the first half. A slam dunk from Obioha and consecutive three-point field goals from Honor Huff allowed the Mountaineers to jump out to an 8-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest.
WVU would later build their first double-digit lead of the game (29-17) after an 11-4 run that was capped by a triple from Thomas. The Bluejays responded with a 9-0 run to pull within three points at 29-26. West Virginia led 43-37 at intermission. The Mountaineers shot 55 percent (18-for-33) from the field in the opening half.
Brenen Lorient taking flight ✈️
👑 x @WVUhoops pic.twitter.com/PG9T1aSJM8
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 4, 2026
Creighton was never able to chip into their six-point halftime deficit after halftime. Thomas capped a 10-1 West Virginia run midway through the second half with a putback, giving WVU a 65-49 advantage. The Bluejays crept within nine points (69-60) with six minutes to play. However, a 10-1 Mountaineer run that was ended by a dunk from Lorient.
The 87 points are the most scored by the Mountaineers since their 89-88, double overtime loss to Ohio State on December 13. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Bluejays, 39-29. West Virginia made 53 percent of their shots from the floor, their third-best performance of the season.
Huff reached the 2,000-point career scoring mark in the first half. The Creighton (16-18) loss brought the 16-year tenure of Greg McDermott as CU head coach to an end.
“That’s what I told Coach McDermott, ‘If I have half the career you have had, it would be a hell of a career’. He has done it with so much class and the way he has represented universities along the way and Creighton specifically and the amount of consistency he has had,” Hodge said.
Josh Dix led the Bluejays with 18 points.