K-State men's basketball can't hold on to big 1st-half lead, lose at West Virginia once again

Ryan Black, The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.
·2 min read

Jan. 8—Missing Bruce Weber and a handful of key pieces for the second straight game, Kansas State didn't seem any worse for the wear in the first half Saturday at West Virginia. The Wildcats held a 14-4 lead at the first timeout, an advantage that grew to as many as 17 (23-6) later in the half.

Though the Mountaineers started to chip away at their deficit, the Wildcats still went into the break with a 13-point lead, up 40-27.

When the teams came out of the locker room, the Wildcats unraveled.

They only made four of their first 20 field goal attempts in the second half, which allowed the Mountaineers to rally, and eventually take an eight-point lead, 61-53, with 5:39 to play.

Though K-State rallied to make it close in the final minutes, it wasn't enough, as West Virginia held on for a 71-68 victory at WVU Coliseum.

It only added to the Wildcats' (8-6, 0-3 Big 12) misery in Morgantown, W.V. The Wildcats have just one win in their last eight visits to WVU Coliseum. It marked the Mountaineers' (12-2, 1-1) fourth straight triumph in the series, which comes after they swept both meetings last season.

Along with Weber, K-State was without scholarship players Kaosi Ezeagu, Logan Landers and Mike McGuirl as well as walk-ons Jordan Brooks and Trey Harris. Weber and the five players all were unavailable because they are in coronavirus health and safety protocols.

With Weber out, assistant Jermaine Henderson took over head coaching responsibilities Saturday. At least early on, it appeared he might walk away with a win. But the Mountaineers' second-half domination — they outscored the Wildcats 42-28 — gave the visitors their third conference loss in as many games.

K-State lost despite four players posting double-digit point totals, led by Nijel Pack's 20. Mark Smith was next in line with 14 points, followed by Ish Massoud with 13 and Markquis Nowell — making his Big 12 debut after missing the last two games because he was in COVID protocols — with 10.

West Virginia had a trio of players in double-figures, highlighted by Sean McNeil's game-high 26 points. He was the catalyst for the Mountaineers' come-from-behind win, scoring 19 of his points in the second half — and he did so efficiently, hitting seven of his 10 shots from the field (3-for-4 on 3s) and both his free throw attempts.

West Virginia guard Taz Sherman, who entered the game as the Big 12's leading scorer 20.9 a night, finished with 14 on Saturday. Kedrian Johnson was the only other Mountaineer to break into double-figures, finishing with 11 points.

K-State returns to action Wednesday, as it hosts TCU at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. and air on ESPNU.