Slow Start Dooms West Virginia at Kansas State – West Virginia University Athletics

Kansas State scored 19 of the game’s first 21 points and never looked back in defeating West Virginia 73-60 tonight at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas.
 
Dug McDaniel’s 15 points led a balance Wildcat offense that included 14 from David N’Guessan, 12 from Max Jones, 11 from Coleman Hawkins and 10 off the bench from C.J. Jones.
 
“We didn’t bring the tenacity like I thought we would,” West Virginia coach Darian DeVries said afterward. “I thought we had a couple of good days of practice after the (Arizona State) loss. We were incredibly focused and we came out flat in those first five minutes and never really recovered.”
 
West Virginia got a game-high 22 points from Javon Small, but all of them were hard-earned points in 38 minutes of action. Small made seven of his 16 field goal attempts, including three of six from 3, oftentimes with two and sometimes three players on him.
 
As it did earlier this week in a 65-57 loss to the Sun Devils, West Virginia struggled to make its 3s, connecting on only four of 21 for 19%. In their last two games, the Mountaineers are eight of 50 from behind ther arc and the result is their first losing streak of the season.
 
“The Arizona State was the same way, we start out down 10-2 and it’s hard to always keep crawling back,” DeVries said. 
 
Other than Small, Amani Hansberry was the only West Virginia player to make a three, the forward finishing one-of-six from behind the arc.
 
Kansas State’s largest lead was 26 points at 42-16 right before the end of the first half.
 
The Mountaineers were much better in the second half, outscoring K-State 42-31, but the opening half’s margin was too big to overcome.
 
“The last 20 minutes we really competed and played the way we need to play if we’re going to be successful,” DeVries said. “I’m certainly proud of the guys for that, but trying to dig your way out of a 24-point hole at the half is tough.”
 
For the game, the Wildcats shot 47.3% from the floor and scored on 55.7% of their offense possessions. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers scored on just 43.1% of their 65 offensive possessions.
 
Toby Okani chipped in with 13 and Sencire Harris finished with 12 points for West Virginia. Only five of the 10 players who got on the floor scored for the Mountaineers tonight.
 
Kansas State snapped its six-game losing streak and boosted its record to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 play, while West Virginia drops to 13-6 and 4-4.
 
“Like I told (his players), this is a good league. People have a bad game or two, and you can’t let it turn into four or five,” DeVries said. “We’re going to get on the plane and go home and we’re going to get ready for a huge home game against Houston on Wednesday. We’re back at our place against a top 10 team in the country, whatever happens in their game, and I know our guys will be ready to go and I’m sure our crowd will be ready to go as well.”
 
Earlier this month, the Cougars topped West Virginia 70-54 in Houston back on Jan. 15.