Pesky defense leads #11 West Virginia past #1 Kansas
- Alicea Ulmer
- Jan 13, 2016
- 2 min read
WVU 74 KU 63 F
JayHawks: Perry Ellis 21pts 8/14fg, 7 rebounds
Frank Mason III 12pts 3/6fg
Mountaineers: Jaysean Paige 26pts 6/13fg
Devin Williams 17pts 4/11fg, 12 rebounds
Down goes another #1! That seems to be a reoccuring theme this season. West Virgnia Mountaineers led for all but 5:16 in this game en route to an impressive home victory over top ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The Mountaineers used swarming defense and great bench support all night to frustrate the Kansas backcourt.
The first half between #11 West Virginia and #1 Kansas featured eight lead changes and one tie before the Mountaineers press took over. Despite Kansas shooting a better field goal percentage, West Virginia forced the Jayhawks into 12 turnovers converting that into seven points. The mountaineers also held the advantage in the freethrow category taking 19 converting on 79 percent, compared to Kansas' 9 where they converted just 56 percent. The Jayhawks bench was also outscored 26-2, helping the mountaineers to a 37-29 halftime lead. Jaysean Paige led the charge with 17 points while Perry Ellis paced Kansas with 11.
Tying into the theme of good defense and great bench help, the second half was much like the first. The Mountaineers bench outscored Kansas' 40-10 for the game. Their pressed forced Kansas into 22 turnovers that turned into 18 points for the home squad. The Mountaineers backcourt did a great job putting pressure on Kansas' backcourt on both ends of the floor. Offensively, they did a great job keeping space allowing for penetration that let them create for themselves and others. All the while, they continued hounding the Kansas ball handlers all night.
Perry Ellis who seemed to be the only bright spot offensively for the Jayhawks led them in scoring and rebounding with 21 and 7 respectively. Frank Mason III chipped in 12 points. West Virginia was led by Jaysean Paige' 26 points and Devin Williams who chipped in 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
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