No. 25 BYU Pulls Away From West Virginia For Sixth Straight Win

PROVO, Utah – A big second-half performance lifts No. 25 BYU past West Virginia.

The Cougars defeated West Virginia on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Marriott Center crowd, 77-56.

Final: No. 25 BYU 77, West Virginia 56.

Six wins in a row. pic.twitter.com/YGzIdbbcqZ

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 2, 2025

BYU scored 52 points in the second half to pull away for a blowout victory.

The win gives nationally-ranked BYU its sixth consecutive victory and improves to 21-8 overall this season.

They remain in a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 Conference with Iowa State at 12-6.

West Virginia made a strong effort to slow down BYU from three-point range. It worked in the first half, limiting BYU to 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. However, it was a pick-your-poison situation for the Mountaineers as BYU then turned to the post and veteran big man Fousseyni Traore.

Traore led the way for BYU with an efficient night, scoring a game-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field.

Fousseyni Traore leads BYU with his second double-double of the season. pic.twitter.com/BK67CKxNVs

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 2, 2025

To go along with his strong scoring output, Traore also grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double since November 23 against Mississippi Valley State.

Egor Demin scored 15 points and Richie Saunders added another 13 to round out the scorers in double-figures for BYU.

BYU completes the season sweep against West Virginia.

First Half

15:28 – The tone of the first half was set from the opening minutes as both teams struggled to find clean looks. BYU 4, West Virginia 2.

11:56 – West Virginia had no answer for Fousseyni Traore. Traore had six points and two rebounds to create a little separation on the Mountaineers.

Also of note, when Mawot Mag was subbed out, BYU turned to Richie Saunders to defend WVU star Javon Small. BYU 10, WVU 4.

7:17 – BYU went on a six-minute scoring drought. But that was the least of their worries. Freshman forward Kanon Catchings went down with an injury and left for the locker room after attempting to block a dunk by WVU’s Joseph Yusefu. The Mountaineer guard picked off a Catchings pass that led to a fastbreak dunk. BYU 10, WVU 8.

2:56 – The style that West Virginia wanted to play was on display, and the Mountaineers started to gain confidence. Amani Hansberry knocked down a three, then Sencire Harris hit a floater in the paint to give the Mountaineers their first lead.

Keba Keita missed a pair of free throws, which was then followed by Javon Small knocking down a three. BYU only knocked down two of its previous 10 field goal attempts. West Virginia 19, BYU 15.

Halftime: BYU 25, West Virginia 19

BYU closed the first half on a 10-0 run. Dallin Hall started the scoring with a pair of free throws out of the media timeout, and then Richie Saunders went coast-to-coast against Javon Small for a finish at the rim.

Fousseyni Traore made his signature move in the paint to create a little bit of space for a hook shot.

With 23.3 seconds left, BYU came out of the timeout and closed the half with an assist from Dallin Hall, who found Traore in the paint for a layup to end the first half.

BYU finished the first half without knocking down a three-pointer (0-4).

Second Half

18:51 – Egor Demin hit a three and then Richie Saunders got to the rim for another layup. Darian DeVries called a timeout. That stretched BYU’s run to 15-0 beginning with the first half. BYU 30, WVU 19.

14:45 – BYU’s run stemming from the first half got up to 18-0 before Javon Small knocked down two free throws to end the run.

Egor Demin started to penetrate, which led to a pair of buckets, including an and-one opportunity at the media timeout. BYU 39, WVU 24.

11:44 – Fousseyni Traore continued to feast in the paint against the Mountaineers frontcourt. West Virginia had no answer for Traore as he knocked down two more buckets in the paint. BYU 46, WVU 29.

8:19 – After going scoreless from beyond the arc in the first half, BYU began heating from three in the second.

BYU knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers from Egor Demin, Dallin Hall, and Trey Stewart. BYU 61, WVU 37.

3:51 – BYU’s high-powered offense was back to its efficient self. The Cougars knocked down seven of its last nine field goals.

While the game was happening on the floor, BYU’s student section couldn’t get enough of future Cougar AJ Dybantsa and 2026 recruit Anthony Felesi from Utah Prep, who were interacting with students from the front row all the way to the top. BYU 70, WVU 43.

Final: BYU 77, West Virginia 56.

Up next for BYU basketball

BYU basketball heads back out on the road to take on No. 9 Iowa State on Tuesday in Ames. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN2 and KSL NewsRadio.

Both teams are 12-6 in Big 12 play. Iowa State defeated No. 22 Arizona at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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