West Virginia Gives Up a Thirteen Point Lead at Halftime in a Loss to Kansas

Matchup
FG Made-Attempted	26-59	25-62
Field Goal %	44.1	40.3
3PT Made-Attempted	8-23	5-27
Three Point %	34.8	18.5
FT Made-Attempted	11-16	11-12
Free Throw %	68.8	91.7
Total Rebounds	35	38
Offensive Rebounds	11	14
Defensive Rebounds	24	24
Team Rebounds	0	0
Assists	15	9
Steals	9	5
Blocks	1	6
Total Turnovers	13	16
Personal Fouls	14	19
Technical Fouls	1	0
Flagrant Fouls	0	0

The #6 West Virginia Mountaineers (15-3 4-2) gave up a sixteen-point lead to fall to the #10 Kansas Jayhawks (15-3 5-1) on Monday in Morgantown.

The Coliseum was loud in the opening minutes of the game.  West Virginia guard Daxter Miles Jr started the game off with a three and on the ensuing inbounds Kansas couldn’t get the ball in, getting a five second call.

Forward Sagaba Konate would get his defense going early with two blocks in just over a minute.

After a put back by Lamont West, to give the Mountaineers an early 5-0 lead, Kansas head coach Bill Self called a timeout in just over the first minute of play.

Coming out of the timeout, Kansas would respond with a quick 5-0 run tying the game up.

Kansas would take a 9-7 lead after a dunk by center Udoka Azubuike, but he would receive a technical for taunting..  Jevon Carter would hit both free throws to tie the game up 9-9.

West Virginia would start a 13-0 run mid-way through the half, taking a 16-point lead 33-17.

The Mountaineers would head into halftime leading by thirteen, led by Jevon Carter’s 10 points and 3 assists and Sagaba Konate’s 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.

It was a slow start to the second half for both teams.  The Mountaineers started off 2-5, while the Jayhawks went 2-6, going in the first media timeout.

The Mountaineers were up twelve after a Jevon Carter fade away with 8:54 to go in the game, and Self would take a thirty second timeout.

Kansas would go on another 5-0 run after the timeout, capped off by an old fashioned three-point play by Devonte’ Graham.  The foul was picked up by Carter, and it would be his fourth personal foul with 7:53 to remain in the game.

With Carter on the bench, the Mountaineers would build a nine-point lead 60-51, after a three from Esa Ahmad.

Kansas would respond with a 12-0 run and take a three-point lead 63-30.  Wide open threes by Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk from the corners highlighted the run.  “We gave Mykhailiuk a three in the corner in the first half.” said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins.  “I took the guy out. We had a timeout and I said please explain to me what you don’t understand about stay with him. Do not give him an open look in the corner.” Continued Huggins. “We talk about it halftime and we come out and leave him.  We just left him wide open”.

Back to back buckets by Ahmad and Carter gave West Virginia the lead back with just two minutes to go in the game.

Graham would get a lay-up on the ensuing possession to give the lead back to Kansas, and they would hold on to the lead, finishing the game on an 8-2 run.

West Virginia only scored 25 points in the second half and had eleven turnovers.  The offense struggled to get anything going.  “JC had the ball to much, but he had the ball too much because nobody else could get open” said Huggins.

The Mountaineers went 5-27 from three-point range, relying on too many threes not running the offense. “I think all those three-point shots is a lack of toughness” said Huggins.

“They just out toughed us.  They just wanted more than we did.” Said Huggins.

This has been a tough 48 hours for the Mountaineers.  Losing back to back games against top ten opponents.  They have four days till the take on Texas inside the Coliseum.