The Shotgun/Throwdown: Mountaineers defeat #11 Iowa State for second straight home win

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.

After blowing out Oklahoma on Saturday night, the West Virginia men’s basketball team kept the home-court momentum going with an important win over #11 Iowa State.

Experience helped the Mountaineers in this up-and-down game. WVU jumped out to an early lead in the first half. In the second half, the Cyclones scoring improved, and the Mountaineers’ shooting declined slightly, which helped ISU get back in the game.

Fifth-year senior Kedrian “Keddy” Johnson led WVU with 22 points and six assists. Fellow fifth-year player Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 20 points and five rebounds for the Mountaineers. Young forward James Okonkwo had a positive impact on defense with three blocks and nine rebounds.

Basketball

Oklahoma State hands WVU third straight loss

The West Virginia women’s basketball team has now lost three games in a row. The Mountaineers have a chance to get back on track on Saturday evening against Iowa State. WVU has had a home-court advantage this season, going 9-2 in the WVU Coliseum so far.

Baseball

Mazey: NIL has become West Virginia’s greatest opportunity, needs to be viewed as an advantage

Head coach Randy Mazey and the West Virginia baseball program know that the NIL and transfer portal era can create difficulties and opportunities. Mazey has recently spoken about how WVU needs to be proactive in the new landscape of college athletics.

Osabuohien impresses with career-high 20 points

Former Mountaineer Gabe Osabuohien scored a career-high in the NBA G-League earlier this week.

Around the Big 12

Nowell, No. 12 Kansas State finish fast, top No. 17 TCU

#12 Kansas State ran away in the second half to knock off #17 TCU on Tuesday. Senior guard Markquis Nowell played almost the entire game and led the Wildcats with 18 points and seven assists.

No. 9 Kansas blows lead, then holds off No. 5 Texas, 88-80

#5 Texas and #8 Kansas put on a classic Big 12 men’s basketball game on Monday night, with the Jayhawks escaping the Longhorns at home.

Around the NCAA

Newton has triple-double, No. 21 UConn tops No. 10 Marquette

Five players scored in double-digits for #21 UConn, as the Huskies won a high-scoring game against the #10 Marquette basketball team.

Kevin Durant Will Join Another Superteam: the Phoenix Suns | The Ringer

KD did it his way, and it didn’t work. So he’s returning to an old formula: Durant will join a star-studded contender after the Nets and Suns struck a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline.

Behind the Scenes of LeBron Being Crowned the NBA’s Scoring King | The Ringer

A picturesque fadeaway, a moment with Kareem, and (ahem) a loss to the Thunder. James’s historic night might not have been perfect, but it told us a lot about LeBron, this season, and his path to this point.

Claudio Castagnoli (Finally) Obtained His Crowning Achievement | The Ringer

The current Ring of Honor world champion reflects on the two decades he’s spent defining his King of Wrestling moniker

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