Cam Carter had a game-high 23 points as Kansas State defeated West Virginia 81-67 on Tuesday night in Morgantown, W.Va.

The Wildcats held West Virginia to just 25 points in the second half.

Kansas State (12-3, 2-0 Big 12) had four players score in double figures. Joining Carter, who was 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, were David N’Guessan and Arthur Kaluma with 17 points each. Will McNair added 12 points and nine rebounds.

RaeQuan Battle led the Mountaineers (5-10. 0-2 Big 12) with 21 points, but only three of those came in the second half. Noah Farrakhan and Kerr Kriisa each had 11.

K-State used a 7-0 run to break a 45-45 tie and match the Cats’ largest lead to that point. When Carter hit a pair of free throws with 13:17 left in the second half, the Wildcats had the first double-digit lead of the game at 57-47. The Mountaineers had scored just five points in the second half at that point.

West Virginia got within five points on several occasions but got no closer. The Wildcats’ largest lead was 15 points, with the last of those coming at 73-58.

K-State started the first half shooting very well, hitting 8-of-10 early on. The Wildcats shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the first half. They were led by N’Guessan with 11 points.

Meanwhile, if not for Battle, the Mountaineers would have been blown out early. Battle scored 12 of the Mountaineers’ first 14 points. He ended the half with 18 points to lead West Virginia, which held K-State without a field goal in the final 2:55. The Mountaineers, who came in 315th in scoring at 67.4 points per game, took a 42-40 lead into the locker room.

K-State’s biggest problem in the first half was fouls. The Mountaineers were 12-of-14 from the free-throw line in the first half. West Virginia also finished the half 6-of-12 from 3-point range.

–Field Level Media