Kansas slaughters West Virginia with commanding second half
West Virginia continues to get lost in the Phog.
Despite 23 points from Malik Curry, the Mountaineers could not overcome a strong Kansas second half, losing Tuesday 85-59.
West Virginia started slow, struggling to consistently sink shots while Kansas sped ahead. A six-point deficit kept the team solidly behind until a windfall came WVU's way.
Starting with a Jalen Bridges' three-pointer, West Virginia began a 17-3 scoring run. The Jayhawks were held scoreless for nearly four minutes, allowing the Mountaineers to take an eight-point lead.
In response, Kansas slowly began to chip away at the lead, gaining ground back.
With just over two minutes remaining, a three-pointer from KU guard Ochai Agbaji tied the score. Agbaji nailed a jumper 30 seconds later, once again giving the Jayhawks the lead.
Kansas would enter halftime clinging to a slim 33-31 lead.
In the second half, the Mountaineers were held scoreless for nearly the first five minutes. Kansas' high-powered offense did not blink as Agbaji, guard Christian Braun and forward David McCormack found baskets with ease, pushing the Jayhawks ahead by double digits.
Simply put, West Virginia chased the Jayhawks from behind but couldn't stay in the same zip code.
Kansas' lead reached 20 midway through the second-half, with the Mountaineers able to do very little to shrink the gap. A jumper by Curry with 3:27 to go was the last shot WVU would make from the field as Kansas rolled to a 85-59 win.
Stat Attack
Curry finished with a team-high 23 points, marking his best scoring performance at West Virginia. He went 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Bridges (12) and Sean McNeil (10) each also finished in double digits. Taz Sherman was held to five points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Kansas leading scorer Jalen Wilson finished with 23 points, going 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Agbaji finished with 20, while McCormack finished with 19.
Bridges led the Mountaineers in rebounding, finishing with 11.
Up Next
West Virginia (13-3) returns to Morgantown for the team's next matchup. They'll host No. 1 Baylor on Tuesday, with the opening tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m.
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