West Virginia loses big lead but recovers to knock off No. 7 Kansas

Field Level Media|published: Tue 31st December, 21:57 2024

Dec 31, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) loses the ball while driving against Kansas Jayhawks guard Rylan Griffen (6) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Javon Small hit a free throw with 1.8 seconds left as West Virginia defeated No. 7 Kansas 62-61 on Tuesday in Lawrence, Kan.

It was West Virginia's first win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in 12 visits.

Kansas, which had not lost a conference opener since January 1991 against Oklahoma, overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to tie the game.

West Virginia (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) was led by Eduardo Andre with 15 points. Small had nine of his 13 points in the second half, along with 11 rebounds and six assists for the game.

Zeke Mayo led Kansas (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) with a season-high 27 points, his third straight game with at least 25. Hunter Dickinson had his seventh double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

West Virginia scored the first five points of the second half. When Andre hit a layup, the WVU lead was 38-20.

Kansas gained momentum when Andre picked up his third foul with 10:25 left, which came amid a 15-2 Jayhawks run that pulled them within 50-48. But West Virginia responded with a 5-0 run, including a 3-pointer by former Jayhawk Joseph Yesufu.

Mayo hit a 3-pointer with 1:26 left to make it a one-possession game. He missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, but Dickinson made a putback to cut it to 59-58.

Kansas stole an inbounds pass, but KJ Adams Jr. missed a short jumper and West Virginia got the rebound, and Small hit two free throws.

Mayo made a backdoor layup and a free throw to tie it at 61-61 with 15 seconds left, but Small drew a shooting foul on Kansas' Flory Bidunga and converted his second of two free throws for the win.

The Jayhawks missed their first six shots of the game. When Jonathan Powell hit a 3-pointer, the Mountaineers led 7-0 and Kansas coach Bill Self had to burn a timeout.

At one point, West Virginia missed seven straight shots, but the Jayhawks couldn't capitalize, trimming the deficit to just six points. The Mountaineers then used a 12-3 run to stretch the lead to 25-10.

West Virginia took a 33-20 lead into the locker room. The 20 points were the fewest Kansas has scored in a half this season. Its previous low was 25 points at Missouri.

The Mountaineers were led in the first half by Andre with 12 points. Mayo led Kansas with nine points.

--Field Level Media

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