Post by 01- PirateDave on Feb 11, 2015 22:04:45 GMT -6
Good night for reserve Brandon Watkins(below).
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Reserve Brandon Watkins scored a career-high 14 points and No. 21 West Virginia surrendered a double-digit lead before recovering for a 76-72 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night.
West Virginia (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) got plenty of scoring from its deep bench to snap a two-game losing streak and hand the Wildcats their fifth straight loss.
Kansas State (12-13, 5-7) scored 12 unanswered points to take a 69-67 lead, but the Wildcats scored three the rest of the game.
Juwan Staten added 11 points and reserves Jaysean Paige and Jevon Carter had 10 apiece for West Virginia. The Mountaineers' bench outscored the Wildcats' 47-19.
Nino Williams led Kansas State with 22 points. Nigel Johnson and Justin Edwards scored 14 apiece and Thomas Gipson had 10.
It was the first game scoring in double figures this season for Watkins, who has averaged only seven minutes of playing time off the bench. His nine rebounds were more than one-third of his previous total for the entire season.
Watkins made a pair of baskets and two free throws over a two-minute stretch to put West Virginia ahead 61-50 with 11:17 remaining. But he didn't score the rest of the game and the Mountaineers got careless.
West Virginia missed five straight free throws and didn't score over a three-minute span to allow Kansas State to mount its comeback.
Johnson made two layups and two free throws in 11 seconds, and Williams capped the 12-0 run with a layup and free throw with 2:25 left to give Kansas State its first lead since early in the game.
West Virginia's Nathan Adrian then made two free throws and Devin Williams' second basket of the game put West Virginia ahead to stay at 71-69 with 1:51 left.
After the teams traded a free throw apiece, Johnson was called for an intentional foul with 20 seconds left. Carter made both free throws, Gary Browne added two more with 10 seconds left and the Mountaineers held on.
TIP-INS
Kansas State: The Wildcats' losing streak is their longest since dropping six in a row in the 2004-05 season. Kansas State did break a streak of four straight games scoring fewer than 60 points. ... Kansas State leading scorer Marcus Foster and reserve forward Malek Harris sat out their third straight games since being suspended Feb. 4 for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
West Virginia: Ten different players scored in the first half when the Mountaineers shot 62 percent from the floor. ... Tarik Phillip missed a two-handed dunk and was called for goaltending while trying to corral the missed shot as it rattled around the rim in the first half. ... West Virginia made its first seven field goal tries, three of them 3-pointers. The Mountaineers entered the game last in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting at 29 percent.
UP NEXT
West Virginia plays at No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday.
Kansas State hosts No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Reserve Brandon Watkins scored a career-high 14 points and No. 21 West Virginia surrendered a double-digit lead before recovering for a 76-72 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night.
West Virginia (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) got plenty of scoring from its deep bench to snap a two-game losing streak and hand the Wildcats their fifth straight loss.
Kansas State (12-13, 5-7) scored 12 unanswered points to take a 69-67 lead, but the Wildcats scored three the rest of the game.
Juwan Staten added 11 points and reserves Jaysean Paige and Jevon Carter had 10 apiece for West Virginia. The Mountaineers' bench outscored the Wildcats' 47-19.
Nino Williams led Kansas State with 22 points. Nigel Johnson and Justin Edwards scored 14 apiece and Thomas Gipson had 10.
It was the first game scoring in double figures this season for Watkins, who has averaged only seven minutes of playing time off the bench. His nine rebounds were more than one-third of his previous total for the entire season.
Watkins made a pair of baskets and two free throws over a two-minute stretch to put West Virginia ahead 61-50 with 11:17 remaining. But he didn't score the rest of the game and the Mountaineers got careless.
West Virginia missed five straight free throws and didn't score over a three-minute span to allow Kansas State to mount its comeback.
Johnson made two layups and two free throws in 11 seconds, and Williams capped the 12-0 run with a layup and free throw with 2:25 left to give Kansas State its first lead since early in the game.
West Virginia's Nathan Adrian then made two free throws and Devin Williams' second basket of the game put West Virginia ahead to stay at 71-69 with 1:51 left.
After the teams traded a free throw apiece, Johnson was called for an intentional foul with 20 seconds left. Carter made both free throws, Gary Browne added two more with 10 seconds left and the Mountaineers held on.
TIP-INS
Kansas State: The Wildcats' losing streak is their longest since dropping six in a row in the 2004-05 season. Kansas State did break a streak of four straight games scoring fewer than 60 points. ... Kansas State leading scorer Marcus Foster and reserve forward Malek Harris sat out their third straight games since being suspended Feb. 4 for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
West Virginia: Ten different players scored in the first half when the Mountaineers shot 62 percent from the floor. ... Tarik Phillip missed a two-handed dunk and was called for goaltending while trying to corral the missed shot as it rattled around the rim in the first half. ... West Virginia made its first seven field goal tries, three of them 3-pointers. The Mountaineers entered the game last in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting at 29 percent.
UP NEXT
West Virginia plays at No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday.
Kansas State hosts No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday
good luck to all!