WVU Routs Stetson 91-53 as Sadler Scores 25

The West Virginia Mountaineers made it two blowouts in a row Friday night, rolling past Stetson 91-53 at Hope Coliseum and improving to 2-0 to start the season.

Freshman guard Miles Sadler led the way with a game-high 25 points and six assists in just 24 minutes. The five-star point guard made 11 of 16 shots, including three 3-pointers, four days after dropping 16 points and nine assists in the opener against Niagara.

Joson Sanon came off the bench and caught fire from deep, pouring in 18 points on six 3-pointers. Finley Bizjack added 13, and Mouhamed Sylla finished with 11 before fouling out late.

A second-half surge

West Virginia led 43-30 at halftime and outscored the Hatters 48-23 after the break. The Mountaineers scored on 61 percent of their possessions, shot 50 percent from the field (31 of 62), and knocked down 13 of 31 from beyond the arc.

They also owned the glass, 46-32, and turned 13 Stetson turnovers into 21 points. For the second straight game, the Mountaineers topped 91 points — the first time WVU has done that in back-to-back games in eight years.

Sean Morgan led Stetson (0-3) with 15 points. Collin Kuhl added 12 points and nine rebounds.

What coach said

Head coach Ross Hodge praised Sadler's aggression but said there is still plenty of room to grow, especially on defense. He also pointed to the team's depth after emptying the bench for the second straight night.

"Again, it's going to be a strength-in-numbers type of team, and some nights maybe it is this guy and some nights maybe it's that guy," Hodge said. "All in all, we can just keep getting better."

What's next

West Virginia (2-0) wraps its three-game homestand next Thursday night against Mercer at Hope Coliseum. Let's go, Mountaineers!