MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Amani Hansberry showcased his skills on Wednesday night, contributing 17 points and securing 13 rebounds as West Virginia clinched a hard-fought 62-59 victory over Cincinnati. The win nearly slipped away from the Mountaineers in a tense finish after they once held a nine-point lead.
In the second half, with West Virginia trailing by six, the team ignited a powerful response, executing a 21-6 scoring surge spurred by Hansberry’s impressive performance, allowing them to establish a 62-53 advantage with just 7.9 seconds remaining. Cincinnati’s Dan Skillings Jr. attempted to spark a comeback with a long-range 3-pointer, followed by grabbing a tipped inbounds pass that set up another three-pointer. Jizzle James then forced a turnover on the subsequent inbounds, giving Tyler Betsey the opportunity for an open shot straight away, but it missed the mark, hitting the front of the rim.
In addition to Hansberry’s efforts, Javon Small also made significant contributions, scoring 16 points, while Jonathan Powell added 12 points and nine rebounds to the mix for West Virginia. This victory allowed the Mountaineers to sweep the season series against Cincinnati.
For the Bearcats, James and Day Day Thomas each recorded 13 points, with Dillon Mitchell and Skillings both chipping in 10 points. Aziz Bandaogo was a strong presence on the boards, hauling in 10 rebounds. Cincinnati was without key player Simas Lukosius, who was sidelined due to an injury sustained during a previous game against Iowa State.
Cincinnati started off strong, notching the first basket of the game, but West Virginia quickly responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Small. The Mountaineers maintained control for the remainder of the first half, even expanding their lead to nine points with under nine minutes to play. They entered halftime with a narrow edge of 29-27.
Looking ahead, Cincinnati will host TCU in their next matchup, while West Virginia faces a challenging road game against No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday.
