Khamari McGriff scored 18 points to help Kansas State overcome the absence of leading scorer P.J. Haggerty and record a 65-63 victory over West Virginia in a Big 12 contest on Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan.
Haggerty was a late scratch after he sustained an undisclosed injury in practice, the school announced. He is second in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game.
Nate Johnson collected 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Wildcats (12-18, 3-14 Big 12), who scored 21 consecutive points at one point during the second half. Kansas State was able to fend off a late charge by the Mountaineers to secure its third win in the last 17 games.
West Virginia’s Chance Moore scored 18 points off the bench and Brenen Lorient added 14.
The Mountaineers (17-13, 8-9), however, made just 6 of 23 shots from 3-point range en route to losing for the fourth time in their last five games.
McGriff sank a pair of free throws to boost Kansas State’s lead to 57-38 with 7:29 remaining in the second half before West Virginia ignited a 20-4 run. Moore, however, missed a layup and Johnson and McGriff each made two free throws to essentially seal the win.
After a lackluster first half, Kansas State bolted out of the blocks in the second by scoring 23 of the first 28 points to take a 48-31 lead. Honor Huff’s 100th 3-pointer of the season gave West Virginia a 31-27 lead before the Wildcats scored 21 straight points, with McGriff totaling eight points during that sequence.
The first half left plenty to be desired by both teams, as West Virginia mustered a 26-23 lead at intermission despite making just 2 of 10 attempts from 3-point range. Kansas State, in turn, didn’t help itself by shooting just 30.8% from the floor (8 of 26).
Andrej Kostic sank a 3-pointer to stake Kansas State to an early 8-5 lead before West Virginia responded with a 10-0 run. Moore sank a 3-pointer as part of his six points during that surge.
