For as hard and intensely as Kansas State worked, a loss doesn’t seem like a fair result.
Thus is life in the Big 12 Conference basketball season.
K-State went step-for-step with No. 19 West Virginia in Saturday’s league opener before falling in double-overtime, 87-83, at Bramlage Coliseum.
“We had chances,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “We gave ourselves chances. We just didn’t take advantage of enough of them to win. We didn’t make enough plays.”
K-State knew what kind of game WVU would bring to the table. The Wildcats were ready to embrace it, building a nine-point lead in the first half of a game that would feature 29 lead changes.
Their effort just wasn’t enough, thanks to some poor free throw shooting and untimely turnovers.
Barry Brown scored 20 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures, and was K-State’s leader in the two overtime periods with eight points. Wesley Iwundu added 16, but also committed seven of the team’s 15 turnovers.
Weber said he was generally pleased with the way his team handled WVU’s pressure.
“We committed 15 turnovers, but that’s fewer than they normally force,” he said. “I’m proud of our guys. We played hard. They just made the plays and found a way to win.”
Neither team led by more than three points in the final six minutes of regulation. K-State forced a stop as the Mountaineers tried to win it on their final possession, then saw Iwundu’s potential buzzer-beater roll off the rim.
Fouls were the story of the game, and played a big role in the overtime periods. In total, 53 were called between the two teams, and 74 free throws were attempted.
K-State (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) chose a bad game to miss 15 of them.
“I guess they defended those free throws pretty well,” Weber quipped. “Sometimes, in a game that is so intense, it’s hard to take a break and relax on free throws.”
WVU blocked Iwundu’s attempt to tie the game with five seconds left in double overtime. Then Jevon Carter hit two free throws to seal it.
The Mountaineers (12-1, 1-0) were led by Jaysean Paige, who scored 25 points off the bench.
K-State will hit the road for its next league tilt, which comes next Tuesday at Texas.
Weber said the Longhorns will pose another physical challenge for his team.
“We’re capable of beating anybody, but we have to be more efficient,” he said. “At some point, we have to start winning some of these close games.”
