Kedrian Johnson scored 15 of his game-high 22 points after halftime and Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 20 points to boost host West Virginia to a 76-71 upset of No. 11 Iowa State on Wednesday night in Morgantown, W.Va.
The Mountaineers (15-9, 4-7 Big 12) won for the fourth time in five games while extending the Cyclones’ road woes.
Iowa State (16-7, 7-4) fell to 2-6 away from home. The Cyclones are 2-9 all time in their 11 visits to Morgantown.
After a Jaren Holmes layup put the visitors ahead 60-57 with 9:45 left, the Mountaineers responded by scoring 11 of the game’s next 13 points over the next 3:52 to regain control ahead of a tight finish.
Iowa State drew within 70-69 on a pair of Caleb Grill free throws with 2:36 remaining and retook the lead on a Holmes layup with 1:26 left. The Mountaineers went back ahead to stay, however, when Joe Toussaint made two free throws at the 1:07 mark.
The Cyclones missed a fast-break layup with 13 seconds left that would have given them the lead and West Virginia grabbed the rebound.
While the Cyclones shot 46 percent compared to 42 percent for the Mountaineers, foul trouble proved to be a considerable hurdle for Iowa State, with three players fouling out.
Referees whistled the teams for four personal fouls apiece over the first 3:07 of the second half. The Mountaineers entered the bonus with 16:18 remaining.
Holmes led Iowa State with 18 points, Grill had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Tamin Lipsey scored 16 points.
Johnson added six assists, while James Okonkwo grabbed nine rebounds for the Mountaineers.
After leading by as many as 15 points in the first half, West Virginia took a 36-30 lead into the break. West Virginia forced eight turnovers in the first half.
West Virginia leading scorer Erik Stevenson left for the locker room late in the first half after absorbing contact to the head while taking a charge. He returned to the bench before halftime and was back in the game in the second half, finishing with eight points before fouling out.
–Field Level Media
