No. 10 West Virginia coasts to 65-43 win over K-State

No. 10 West Virginia opened its regular season-ending four-game home stand on the right foot.

Hosting Kansas State on Saturday, the Mountaineers coasted to a 65-43 win on the back of a team-leading 16 points from Sean McNeil. Yet, it was a strong defensive start from West Virginia (17-6) that allowed the Mountaineers to push ahead early.

Kansas State (7-19) struggled to maneuver around the WVU defensive effort, shooting 16.6% (2-of-12) from the field over the first 12 minutes.

Relying heavily on Derek Culver down in the offensive post, West Virginia opened on a 6-0 scoring run — all without Miles McBride, the team’s leading scorer.

McBride, who eventually checked in near the halfway point of the first half, came off the bench for the first time this season after coach Bob Huggins said that the sophomore guard had been banged up.

Despite McBride taking to the floor, the Wildcats were soon able to find their stride. The Mountaineers began to struggle knocking down shots, and K-State was able to draw within one point of WVU’s lead.

McNeil scored five points in the last two and a half minutes of the first half, allowing the Mountaineers to build a minor advantage.

The two teams finished the first half with more total turnovers, 20, than total made shots, 16, and West Virginia entered halftime with a 26-22 lead.

WVU’s success continued in the second half as the Mountaineers opened with the first seven points scored, ballooning their lead to 11. West Virginia continued to outpace the Wildcats on both sides of the floor, and K-State consistently faced a near 10-point deficit.

With just under 11 minutes remaining in the second half, McBride sank a 3-point basket for the Mountaineers, kicking off a 19-2 run that grew West Virginia’s lead to 25 points with five minutes to go — effectively ending any chance of a Kansas State victory.

WVU walk-ons Spencer Macke and Jay Moore entered the game with one minute remaining, and West Virginia ultimately picked up the 65-43 victory.

McNeil led the Mountaineers in scoring, and he was followed by Culver, who finished the afternoon with 11 points. West Virginia shot 42% (22-of-53) from the field, including 30% (6-of-20) from the 3-point line.

Up Next: West Virginia will host No. 2 Baylor on Tuesday, the first matchup of the season between the two teams. The 5 p.m. tipoff will be broadcast on ESPN.

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