LAWRENCE, Kan. — Javon Small hit the go-ahead free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining, and short-handed West Virginia held on after blowing an 18-point second-half lead to beat seventh-ranked Kansas 62-61 in an intense Big 12 opener for both teams Tuesday.
“Our guys left it out there and I loved the resiliency they had,” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “It was an unbelievably tough environment. It was everything everybody said it would be with the volume and the noise and the atmosphere they have here. Our guys stayed composed and made some really big plays to come away with a really big road win.”
Eduardo Andre had 15 points and Small finished with 13 for the Mountaineers (10-2, 1-0), who built a 38-20 lead despite missing two of their three leading scorers to injuries, only to watch Kansas (9-3, 0-1) use a 15-2 run to get back in the game.
Zeke Mayo, who led the Jayhawks with 27 points, converted a three-point play to tie the game 61-all with 16 seconds left. Small was fouled by Kansas freshman Flory Bidunga at the other end and made the second of two free throws.
K.J. Adams hauled in a long inbounds pass from teammate Hunter Dickinson, but he missed a contested shot against WVU freshman Jonathan Powell as time expired that could have won the game for the Jayhawks (9-3, 0-1).
“When you lose, we all have a tendency to (complain) about officiating,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “and when you win, sometimes you take it for granted that maybe you got a friendly whistle. The play at the end, it’s probably a foul early in the game, but I’m not sure there’s a lot of people who would call a foul on that last possession.”
It was the first conference-opening loss for Kansas since Jan. 8, 1991, and the first win for the Mountaineers in 12 tries in Allen Fieldhouse. WVU has now won two in a row against Kansas dating back to last season.
Small finished with a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and also chipped in six assists. Dickinson also had a double-double for the Jayhawks, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Takeaways
West Virginia played its fourth game without star forward Tucker DeVries and also was missing big man Amani Hansberry to an ankle injury. But the Mountaineers committed just six turnovers while never getting rattled by the noise in the Phog.
Kansas missed 15 of its first 19 shots, digging a hole that it spent the entire game trying to escape. Mayo gave the Jayhawks a chance, going 13 for 13 at the foul line, including several of them in the closing minutes.
Key moment
Small struggled from the field, going 0 for 6 from the 3-point arc. But he also had 11 rebounds and six assists, and he made the free throw that mattered with 1.8 seconds to go.
Key stat
Kansas went 19 of 21 from the foul line. West Virginia only attempted six free throws, making four — including the winner.
Up next
West Virginia hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday. Kansas heads to UCF on Sunday.
