WVU Men’s Basketball (11-5, 2-1) upset the No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks (11-5, 1-2) inside Hope Coliseum in Morgantown on Saturday. The Mountaineers poured it on in the second half to solidify the 86-75 win. Read more: Full team effort propels WVU past No. 22 Kansas in instant classic.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated following postgame press conferences.
This one will go down in the books as a classic. WVU got the best of Kansas at home yet again, a tradition that has grown since becoming Big 12 foes. Kansas Head Coach Bill Self and his Jayhawks have a losing record (5-8) in Morgantown.
“We didn’t give much resistance at all,” Coach Self said. “They [WVU] took advantage of that. We didn’t obviously score on the other end, but they were tougher [and] we never stopped them.”
Saturday’s result is undoubtedly the biggest win of Head Coach Ross Hodge’s career. WVU shot 48% from the field and made 21 free throws in the victorious effort.
“You want to win for your players and that group in that locker room,” Coach Hodge said. “But you do want to reward those moments that make this place so special, you do want to reward that and share that with the fan base.”
A gold rush of 13,743 were rewarded, to say the least.
First half
Kansas won the opening tip, but came up empty-handed on the possession. The Jayhawks got on the board first thanks to a pair of free throws.
Brenen Lorient responded with a basket in the paint for WVU’s first points less than a minute later. The Mountaineers took their first lead with a triple courtesy of Honor Huff.
The two squads exchanged leads, with WVU taking a 9-8 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:42 mark. WVU came out of the timeout with possession, but failed to take advantage.
Flory Bidunga made an impact with a slam dunk to extend Kansas’ lead to three points. The sizable home crowd showed its displeasure early and often, especially after the foul on the ensuing possession.
Lorient came up with an and-one opportunity, but missed the free throw. Chance Moore cut the Kansas lead to one after splitting his trip to the line, but the Jayhawks continued to respond.
Leads continued to flip nearly every possession, with both teams finding rhythm. WVU sank four consecutive field goals to go up 30-28 with 4:55 until halftime.
The trend continued through the end of the frame, with Lorient carrying the load for the Mountaineers. The North Texas transfer was pinpoint accurate in the closing moments.
Kansas led 43-39 as the first half clock expired thanks to a buzzer-beating trey from Darryn Peterson, capping off an impressive individual half.
At the break
The first half was played rather evenly. Nine ties and 12 lead changes played a major factor in the state of the contest.
Related: Player spotlight: Carter McCray shines as a starter for WVU
Lorient and Peterson headlined the heavyweight bout with 16 points each at the break. Kansas dominated the paint at the midpoint, outscoring WVU 30-12 in the category.
Second half
Action resumed with another bucket courtesy of Lorient. The Jayhawks responded with a basket of their own to extend the lead back to four points.
Eaglestaff returned to the fold with back-to-back triples before Huff brought WVU within two yet again. KU took a 59-51 lead and firm control of the contest, despite WVU staying hot offensively.
Harlan Obioha, who is no stranger to struggles as of late, produced a timely and-one to spark the crowd once more. Jasper Floyd entered the mix as well by collecting his first basket of the game.
The Mountaineer faithful came unglued after Floyd tallied another FG, forcing a media timeout. Obioha slammed down a dunk for the lead, and picked up a FT shortly thereafter.
WVU went on a 15-3 run in under six minutes and led 64-59 with 9:21 remaining.
Huff kept the momentum up for WVU, nailing two more three-pointers and extending the lead to nine with 6:41 to go. Kansas only managed to score five points in a stretch exceeding nine minutes.
The tides turned in favor of the Jayhawks late, but WVU continued to respond. A final Mountaineer onslaught sealed the deal on a landmark win in the newest era of WVU hoops.
Top performers
B. Lorient (WVU): 18 points/2 rebounds/6 assists
H. Huff (WVU): 23 points/7 rebounds
D. Peterson (KU): 23 points/6 rebounds/2 assists
What’s next?
The road does not get any easier for the Mountaineers. WVU is back in action against Houston, a top-10 squad, at 8:30 p.m. on January 13.
As always, all games are broadcast on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations. Stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
