Miles, WVU power past Iowa State
West Virginia guard Tarik Phillip (12) kisses guard Teyvon Myers (0) as they walk off the court with guard Daxter Miles Jr. at the conclusion of a college basketball game against Iowa State Friday in Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia defeated Iowa State 87-76.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins instructs his players Friday during the first half against Iowa State.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Daxter Miles Jr. tied a career high with 23 points to lead No. 10 West Virginia to an 87-76 victory over No. 24 Iowa State Friday night.
Nathan Adrian added 16 points for the Mountaineers (12-6 Big 12, 24-7), who clinched the second seed in next week’s conference tournament behind top-ranked Kansas.
Iowa State (12-6, 20-10) can earn the third seed if No. 11 Baylor loses at Texas Saturday.
Naz Mitrou-Long led the Cyclones with 22 points. Monte Morris and Deonte Burton scored 17 apiece, and Matt Thomas had 16.
Miles scored 16 of his team’s 18 points during an eight-minute stretch spanning both halves.
Iowa State has relied on some strong 3-point shooting during a solid stretch in February, and that held true against the Mountaineers. But its accuracy was shoddy from other parts of the court.
The Cyclones went 3 of 20 from the floor over the first 10 minutes of the second half. Sagaba Konate and Lamont West threw down dunks to cap a 12-0 West Virginia run for a 63-51 lead with 9:52 left.
West Virginia extended the lead to 17 down the stretch.
The Cyclones were limited to 38 percent shooting (23 of 60) and had their six-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 2-5 against ranked teams this season.
The Mountaineers got some needed momentum back after a pair of lackluster performances in Texas. They shot a season-low 37 percent in a one-point win at TCU on Feb. 25 and lost by double digits at Baylor on Monday.
Both teams play in the conference tournament Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri. Their opponents will be determined after Saturday’s final Big 12 regular-season games. Iowa State has won two of the last three Big 12 Tournament titles.