West Virginia will live to fight another day in the Big 12 Tournament.
The Mountaineers came out on top in their first round game Wednesday night, besting Kansas State 73-67.
Despite Taz Sherman contributing next to nothing offensively in the first half, the Mountaineers had no problem jumping out to an early lead.
Propelled by 15 points from Sean McNeil, West Virginia held a lead as large as eight points across the first few minutes. However, the Wildcats sank plenty of shots to stay alive.
With a little more than three minutes to go before the half, Kansas State took hold of a slim but brief lead. An 8-2 run by the Mountaineers took the lead back, allowing them to enter halftime with a 38-34 lead.
West Virginia stayed in control after halftime, but the pesky Wildcats continued to give the Mountaineers fits. An 8-0 run allowed K-State to tie the score at 55 with nine minutes left but, still, the Wildcats could not take the lead.
The Mountaineers shot 57.1% from the field in the second half, allowing them to secure the win.
Stat Attack
McNeil led the Mountaineers in scoring, finishing with 21. Malik Curry followed closely behind, scoring 17.
Sherman ended the night with nine points. He also led the team with nine total rebounds.
Up Next
No. 9 seed West Virginia advances to take on No. 1 seed Kansas tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
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