In the matchup between Kansas State and West Virginia on Tuesday, March 3, neither team could create separation to start the game, as both defenses consistently created stops. K-State center Khamari McGriff got the first points of the night, draining both free throws at the line four minutes into regulation.
The Mountaineers and Wildcats relied on the free-throw line early, and both teams kept applying pressure in the paint, looking to bait the other into fouling. West Virginia started to show momentum at the eight-minute mark as the Mountaineers managed to get three offensive rebounds in the same possession before finally scoring a layup. This gave the Mountaineers a five-point lead, 13-8, which grew to seven, as things looked shaky for K-State.
Thankfully for the Wildcats, though, guard C.J. Jones hit a three to bring the game within four, still trailing, 17-13. Once West Virginia started to find leeway with scoring, K-State would hit another big shot to keep them in the game.
However, instead of Jones hitting the shot, this time it came from guard Andrej Kostic, who hit a corner three, putting K-State within four, 22-18. With 1:01 left before the break, Jones hit another three to put the Wildcats within one possession, but the Mountaineers would stay consistent, leading 26-23 to end the first 20 minutes of play.
Following halftime, K-State’s offense looked more elusive, especially because of McGriff, who had six points within the first four minutes of the second half. A steal from the Wildcat big man turned into a fast break layup that tied the game at 31 apiece.
McGriff continued to showcase elite scoring, as he caught an alley oop for a layup off an inbound pass. Following this, K-State put up back-to-back three-point possessions to give themselves a 40-31 lead, forcing West Virginia to take a timeout seven minutes into the second half.
The timeout wouldn’t help the Mountaineers, however, as the Wildcats went on a 21-0 run. West Virginia would go about eight minutes without a bucket in the half.
Whatever was said in the locker room at halftime lit a fire inside K-State, as the Wildcats flipped the game completely upside down.
“I had a good feeling the second half was going to be much better,” K-State interim head coach Matthew Driscoll said. “We forced them to call a timeout at 31-31 and then continued with a 21-0 run.”
It looked like a different team came out of the locker room after halftime. Points came in the paint, and turnovers turned into buckets effortlessly for the Wildcats. By the time the game was over, K-State had 20 points off turnovers.
The Mountaineers didn’t quit, though, going on a much-needed 11-0 run with 4:20 remaining in the game. On the other side, the Wildcats were backed against the wall after a three-minute scoring drought until guard Nate Johnson hit a big three to increase the lead to 60-51.
Despite K-State’s sizable lead, there was no quit from West Virginia. After two made free throws from Mountaineer guard Honor Huff, the Wildcats touched the ball before it went out of bounds on the inbound pass, giving West Virginia the ball down 61-58, with 48 seconds left.
But the K-State defense stood tough as Johnson made a game-sealing steal and was fouled quickly after, draining both free throws to give the Wildcats a 63-58 lead. Another two made free throws from McGriff and a last-second three-pointer from the Mountaineers would officially seal the deal, as K-State won 65-63.
“We really haven’t been at full strength for a while,” Driscoll said. “I was just really proud of their resiliency.”
Even though the Wildcats did not have their leading scorer, P.J. Haggerty, the team was able to connect and get the job done. Haggerty was a surprise scratch 90 minutes before tip-off due to a day-to-day injury suffered at practice.
“We definitely missed his presence today,” McGriff said. “It took us a little bit to get going, in the second half we just decided to play the right way.”
McGriff led the way for K-State, finishing with 18 points with perfect shooting in the second half. The Wildcats’ center also had seven rebounds to end the night. Johnson nearly finished his night with a triple-double, putting up a stat line of 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
K-State’s last regular-season game is a big one, as the team will travel to Lawrence to play Kansas in the second Sunflower Showdown of the season. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on March 7.
