MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ochai Agbaji scored 23 points, David McCormack had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 6 Kansas beat West Virginia, 71-58, on Saturday night.
The Jayhawks (22-4, 11-2) maintained their two-game lead in the Big 12 over No. 7 Baylor and No. 11 Texas Tech with five games remaining before the conference tournament.
West Virginia (14-12, 3-10) has lost 10 of its last 11. The Mountaineers struggled through a 1-for-14 shooting stretch in the first half, missed numerous layups and short jumpers throughout the game and shot 28% (19 of 68) overall.
Kansas had a 49-32 rebounding advantage but committed 15 turnovers that allowed West Virginia to keep it close most of the way.
Gabe Osabuohien, West Virginia’s top defender, returned from a one-game benching after he picked up three technical fouls in two previous games, including an ejection. Less than a minute after he entered Saturday, Osabuohien took a charge on Mitch Lightfoot.
But the Mountaineers couldn’t do much to stop Agbaji, the Big 12’s leading scorer who had a 3-pointer and a layup during a 9-0 run that gave the Jayhawks a 42-30 lead with 17:11 remaining.
Kansas followed that with a more than four-minute scoring drought. Sean McNeil hit two 3-pointers and Taz Sherman one during a 13-point West Virginia burst that cut the deficit to 44-43 with 12:39 left.
But the Mountaineers never retook a lead they only held early in the game. McCormick made layups less than a minute apart, sank two free throws and Kansas pushed its lead back to 60-48 with 5:11 left.
West Virginia was limited to two field goals over the final eight minutes. McNeil led the Mountaineers with 18 points and Sherman, second in the Big 12 to Agbaji in scoring, added 16.
Kansas won in Morgantown for the fourth time in 10 tries under coach Bill Self.
The week wasn’t a total loss for the Mountaineers, whose only representation at the NCAA Tournament could be coach Bob Huggins. He was announced Friday among the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 will be announced at the Final Four on April 2 in New Orleans.
West Virginia travels to TCU on Monday in a makeup of a Jan. 3 game that was postponed because of covid-19 protocols within the Horned Frogs’ program. The Mountaineers will play three games in six days.
