MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After dominating early, the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks looked ugly, but still walked away with a 61-56 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum on Monday night.
Kansas (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) opened up the game with a 14-0 run, and took a 14-2 lead with 13:27 to play in the first half. West Virginia stopped the bleeding, and cut the lead to 23-14 at the 7:25 mark.
West Virginia (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) closed the half on a 16-9 run, and trailed 38-30 at halftime. The Jayhawks got in their own way for much of the first half, committing nine turnovers, and going just 10-19 at the free throw line.
In the second half, it was the Mountaineers who dominated early, cutting the lead to 48-46 on a jumper by Juwan Staten with 10:17 to play. KU responded with a 7-0 run, and took a 55-46 lead on a 3-pointer by Travis Releford with 7:36 to play.
The Mountaineers cut the lead to 60-56 on a jumper by Staten with :25 seconds to play, but Jeff Withey added a pair of blocks with :15 seconds to play, helping seal the win for the Jayhawks.
Withey finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Releford went 7-9 for 15 points, and Ben McLemore finished with 13 points. KU shot 54% from the field, and 33% from 3-point range. The Jayhawks outrebounded the Mountaineers 34-25.
Aaric Murray led the Mountaineers with 17 points off the bench. West Virginia shot 37% from the field, and 27% from beyond the arc. KU lost the turnover battle 16-9, and were miserable from the free throw line, shooting 53% on 18 of 34 attempts.
This was the first ever basketball meeting between Kansas and West Virginia. KU’s 18-game win streak ties the second longest winning streak in the Bill Self era.
The Jayhawks will host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.