WVU basketball: Mountaineers blow second half lead to Kansas

The WVU basketball team lost to the Kansas Jayhawks, the fans inside Allen Fieldhouse and the Big 12 referees on Saturday.

Once again, the Mountaineers saw a double-digit lead slip away and ultimately end in a loss. The Jayhawks defeated the WVU basketball team, 77-69.

This loss is solely on the Mountaineers because of the conservative way they played the second half. The offense has been a work in progress all season but in the final 10 minutes of the second half, the WVU basketball team played without any semblance of a plan on offense.

Kansas, meanwhile, drove to the basket, drew fouls and converted on 3-point attempts to stage the solid comeback. The Jayhawks swept the season series with the WVU basketball team with this win.

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What will be talked about for quite some time is the foul-shot disparity between the two teams. Kansas shot 35 foul shots while West Virginia only shot two. It’s no secret that the Mountaineers put the opponents on the line often with their aggressive defense, but it’s hard to believe the Jayhawks didn’t do enough to warrant more foul shots for the WVU basketball team. Looking at the box score, the Jayhawks were whistled for 14 fouls but there were definitely more left on the floor.

For the WVU basketball team, Daxter Miles led the way with 22 points but he didn’t do enough to secure the victory. He played sloppily down the stretch and didn’t truly believe in himself to secure the victory. Fellow senior guard Jevon Carter also had some plays called into question but he scored 15 points. Lamont West added 11.

For Kansas, Udoka Azubuike scored 21 points and Devonte Graham had 15. The WVU basketball team outrebounded Kansas, 33-30, as Carter, Wesley Harris and Sagaba Konate all had six rebounds. Carter and Miles combined to create nine steals and Carter dished out seven assists.

Next: All-time WVU basketball team

The WVU basketball team is back in action on Tuesday at Baylor. The Mountaineers are now 19-8 on the year and 8-6 in the Big 12 Conference. West Virginia beat the Bears by three earlier in the year.