Field Level Media
Feb 7, 2021
Miles McBride scored 29 points and Taz Sherman added 25 on Saturday as No. 17 West Virginia began a stretch of six straight games against ranked opponents with a 91-79 win against No. 23 Kansas in Morgantown, W.Va.
The Mountaineers (13-5, 6-3 Big 12) never trailed and enjoyed a comfortable 10-point lead at halftime. A 9-0 run early in the second half by the Jayhawks (12-7, 6-5) tightened the game before West Virginia pulled away thanks to 52.4 percent shooting from behind the arc.
McBride and Sherman both set career highs in scoring. Derek Culver added 19 points and nine rebounds for West Virginia and Emmitt Matthews Jr. had 10 points.
West Virginia has made at least eight treys in eight of its last 10 games and avenged a 79-65 loss at Kansas on Dec. 22 in which the Jayhawks canned 16 3-pointers.
The loss was the fifth in a row on the road for the Jayhawks, putting their streak of consecutive weeks in the Top 25 (231) in jeopardy. The game was the 433rd straight for Kansas as a ranked team, a streak that began on Feb. 2, 2009.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Jayhawks, who forged two ties in the second half. Jalen Wilson recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. David McCormack led Kansas with 17 points and also grabbed nine boards, while Marcus Garrett chipped in 18 points and Ochai Agbaji had 13.
The Jayhawks committed 18 turnovers.
West Virginia scored 10 unanswered points and bolted to a 12-2 lead, then maintained a secure margin before settling for a 44-34 halftime advantage.
Culver provided 13 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting, while adding six rebounds. McBride netted 12 points and distributed six assists. The Mountaineers scored 18 points off 11 Kansas turnovers and made 7 of 11 attempts from 3-point range.
Agbaji scored eight first-half points to pace the Jayhawks, who had trouble converting at the rim.
Kansas coach Bill Self got tagged with a first-half technical with 2:32 left after Christian Braun drew his third foul. Two free throws by McBride extended the Mountaineers' margin to 38-26, their largest of the half.
--Field Level Media