West Virginia scores 97, runs past Iowa State
Senior Georges Niang runs the ball down the court during the game against TCU on Feb. 20. The Cyclones defeated the Horned Frogs 92-83.
February 22, 2016
Jaysean Paige had a career night for West Virginia, scoring a career-high 34 points, as the Cyclones fell in 97-87 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Iowa State (19-9, 8-7 Big 12) committed 15 turnovers and allowed West Virginia (21-7, 10-5 Big 12) to grab 18 offensive rebounds in the loss.
Iowa State knew ball security and rebounding would be crucial against a West Virginia team that is known for pressure defense and offensive rebounding, but the Cyclones couldn’t find a way to limit West Virginia’s success in those areas.
The Mountaineers did what they did best: force turnovers, crash the boards and get more offensive chances than their opponents.
Tarik Phillip added 22 points for the Mountaineers in the win. Iowa State also struggled with foul trouble, in addition to rebounding and turnover issues.
Abdel Nader continued his hot streak for the Cyclones, scoring 23 points to lead Iowa State. Jameel McKay was solid off the bench, scoring 10 points and pulling down five rebounds after sitting out the TCU game per a coaching decision.
The Iowa State offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Cyclones put up 87 points, but West Virginia nearly hit the century mark, signaling defensive issues for the Cyclones.
Iowa State will next be in action against Kansas State on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
