WVU wipes out Wildcats 85-66
No. 13/14 West Virginia (20-5, 8-4) started slow but pulled away in the second half beating Kansas State 85-66 inside the Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers got revenge on the Wildcats after falling in the first meeting 79-75 on the road but it would be a different story in Morgantown. West Virginia held Kansas State to 35-percent from the field, while smothering the Wildcats on the defensive end. On the other hand the Mountaineers shot 50-percent from the floor.
Also doing a better job taking care of the basketball after 23 turnovers in the first meeting, West Virginia recorded 18 in this one while forcing 19 Kansas State miscues.
Junior guard Jevon Carter led West Virginia with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while sophomore forward Esa Ahmad contributed with 11 points to the win.
For the second straight game, junior guard Daxter Miles did not start due to an ankle issue thrusting senior guard Tarik Phillip into the starting lineup. However, Miles would play in the contest.
Kansas State got off to a hot start taking an early 7-2 lead as the Wildcats were able to connect on a pair of three-pointers in the first four minutes of the game. West Virginia would cut into the score to make it 9-6 with 14:29 left in the first half as the two teams exchanged sloppy play at their respective ends.
The Mountaineers would continue their trend of slow starts at home, as West Virginia would fall behind 14-6 in the early going starting the game hitting three of its first 11 shots and struggling in the half court. For the second straight game, James “Beetle” Bolden came off the bench to spark the Mountaineers hitting a three pointer and then raising the energy level on the defensive end. A quick 5-0 run cut the advantage to 14-11 as the clock ticked near the 11-minute mark of the first half.
The Mountaineers would surge ahead 15-14 at the 9:06 mark on the heels of a 9-0 run. That stretch would grow to 17-1 as West Virginia would seize a 23-15 lead with under seven minutes in the half. But Kansas State would use a run of its own to recapture the lead at 30-27 with under three minutes left.
The two teams would enter the halftime break nodded up at 34-each. The Mountaineers shot 40-percent in the opening frame, while the Wildcats would shoot 35-percent but the visitors shot eight more free throws than West Virginia to make up the difference.
The Wildcats broke the tie on the opening possession of the second half on a three-pointer and things started slow out of the gates again as Bob Huggins was hit with a technical foul. But West Virginia would rally to recapture the lead at 42-39 three minutes into the second half.
The Mountaineers would take a 48-40 lead at the 14:14 mark as both teams struggled with foul trouble in the early stages of the second half. West Virginia led 53-44 with 11:50 left to play in the game as both teams were already in the bonus for the remainder of the game.
Kansas State hit two of their first six shots and turned the ball over seven times to open the second half after only six in the entire first half as the Mountaineers would take its largest lead at 57-44. The second frame would continue to be plagued by stoppages of play on both ends, but the Mountaineers were able to extend their advantage to 66-52 with 8:28 remaining in the game.
West Virginia would push its advantage out to 74-58 with 3:52 left and from there the Mountaineers would coast to its 20th win of the season as Huggins would empty the bench in the final two minutes of the game.
West Virginia will travel to Kansas for a 9 p.m. match up.