Runnin' Utes Snap Road Game Skid with Gritty Win Over West Virginia

Wednesday, February 18

Morgantown, WV / Hope Coliseum

6:30 PM

University of Utah

10-16,2-11Big 12

West Virginia

16-10,7-6Big 12

Utah

West Virginia

Runnin' Utes Snap Road Game Skid with Gritty Win Over West Virginia

2/18/2026 10:08 PM | Men's Basketball

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Seydou Traore did it all in Utah’s 61-56 win, stuffing the stat sheet with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 stocks

By: Austin Eames

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Utah men's basketball team closed out its road trip with a 61-56 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers, snapping a seven-game winless streak Wednesday night inside Hope Coliseum.

The Runnin' Utes wasted no time, jumping out to an early double-digit advantage with a lights-out performance on both sides of the court.

Utah (10-16, 2-11 Big 12) held the Mountaineers to 1-of-8 shooting from the field to begin the contest, going 8-of-12 from the field during the same stretch (including 6-of-6 to start the game) to earn an 18-3 lead with 13:02 to go in the opening frame.

West Virginia (16-10, 7-6 Big 12) crawled its way back into the contest in the following minutes, getting within eight points, 21-13, of the Utes on a 10-3 scoring stretch that ended with an Amir Jenkins free throw at the 5:07 mark.

Despite pressure from its opponent, Utah rounded back into form in the half's closing minutes—retaking a double-digit edge with Josh Hayes' layup at 2:56. Hayes was the Runnin' Utes X-factor in the opening frame, grabbing a whopping five offensive rebounds off the bench to assist the Utah offense.

With help from Hayes and forward Seydou Traore, who led all players with 10 points in the period, Utah maintained its double-digit lead and took a 31-21 advantage into the break.

Utah continued to press in the opening minutes of the second half, extending its advantage to 41-26 and forcing a WVU timeout on a Don McHenry three at 15:57.

Despite facing a 15-point deficit with 14:35 to go, the Mountaineers maintained their poise and brought the game to 49-44 on a bucket from Treysen Eaglestaff at 7:58. Minutes later, West Virginia would inch even closer, getting within one possession (53-51) with 3:59 to go.

With the game in crunch time and pressure mounting, the Utes locked in with Terrence Brown and McHenry converting key scores to extend the team's lead to 57-51 with 1:02 left in regulation.

Lockdown defense from Traore forced a WVU turnover with 13 seconds to go, securing a 61-56 Utah victory to earn the first road win of the Alex Jensen era.

Three Utah players hit double-figures in the contest, with Traore leading the way with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Brown added 16 points of his own to go along with a season-high 8 rebounds and 3 assists. McHenry rounded out the trio with 16 points of his own. Hayes provided a spark off the bench with 7 rebounds, including a season-high 5 offensive boards.

BY THE NUMBERS

Junior forward Josh Hayes set a new season-high with seven rebounds. Hayes also set a season-high in offensive rebounds with 5 off the bench.
21 points in the first half is the second lowest points in a half this season for West Virginia
Terrence Brown brought in a season-high 8 rebounds in contest
Utah outclassed the Mountaineers in three-point shooting and FT shooting. The Utes won the battle from beyond the arc shooting 31-percent compared to WVU's 22-percent mark. Utah also shot better from the charity stripe 67-percent to 47-percent.
Utah also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding West Virginia 38-28.
- Utah had 12 OREB, WVU had 7
Utah never trailed in the game. The Utes led for 39:35 of the way and were tied for only :25 seconds.
The win against WVU marks the first road conference win in the Alex Jensen era
The victory also ends a 15-game losing streak on the road and marks the program's first TRUE win on the road since Jan. 15, 2025 (at TCU)

UP NEXT
The Runnin' Utes return home for another two-game stint inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center, starting with UCF on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ as part of a double-header with the women's basketball team – who battles BYU earlier in the day at 2 p.m. Salt Lake Bees play-by-play man Tony Parks will be on the call alongside former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens.

SEASON TICKETS & MINI PLANS
Fans can choose between two mini plans; the Saturday ONLY Plan starts at $125 while the Conference ONLY plan starts at $150. Single-game tickets for conference games are also on-sale starting at just $10 per ticket.

Fans interested in buy season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets (non-conference) can do so by going online at UtahTickets.com or by phone at 801-581-UTIX (8849).

For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, X and Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360 app.

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