MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Kamau Stokes pumped his fist and screamed after he drove the length of the court for a buzzer-beating layup. Dean Wade wrapped him up in a bear hug. Wesley Iwundu found the nearest camera and told everyone watching "we're going to win."
It was only halftime, but the wild celebration turned out to be a preview of the things to come inside Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
Kansas State, thanks in large part to a furious rally at the end of the first half, defeated No. 7 West Virginia 79-75 for its first victory of the season against a ranked opponent.
The Wildcats (15-4, 4-3 Big 12) appeared overmatched late in the first half as the Mountaineers (15-4, 4-3) used their deep roster and stifling defense to race to a 38-26 lead, but that changed in a flash when K-State ramped up its intensity.
Sensing things were slipping away, the Wildcats began attacking the Mountaineers and the rim. The same team that struggled to inbound the ball and find open looks for the majority of the first half dominated the final two minutes with a 10-0 run.
D.J. Johnson made two free throws and a put-back bucket, Carlbe Ervin hit a reverse layup, Stokes made two free throws and then finished off the half with a driving shot in traffic.
No one on the K-State bench wanted to leave the floor, but the Wildcats kept their hot play going after intermission and started the second half on a 14-6 run to take a 50-44 lead on an and-one layup from Wade.
All five K-State starters finished in double figures. Barry Brown and Stokes led the way with 15 points each, Johnson added 14 and Iwundu and Wade both had 13.
Tarik Phillip led West Virginia with a game-high 20 points.
K-State had lost five straight in this series with Bruce Weber often complaining about how difficult it has been to play against West Virginia since Bob Huggins switched to a full-court press. It's common to see the Wildcats turning the ball over and complaining about officials whenever they play the Mountaineers.
This time around, that stress was applied to West Virginia.
Huggins twice called timeouts early in the second half to try and slow K-State's momentum and argue with officials. None of it worked.
K-State kept adding to its lead until West Virginia benefited from a bizarre flagrant foul against Iwundu.
The senior wing drove the basket for a dunk with 7:43 remaining and K-State on top 65-55. He missed the shot through contact and officials called a foul on West Virginia's Sagaba Konate, but they also stopped the game to review the play for excessive conduct.
K-State fans suspected Konate might pick up a flagrant foul. Instead, Iwundu was assessed a technical for elbowing Konate while attacking the basket.
The unexpected turn gave West Virginia free throws and the ball, and it took advantage with a series of free throws, steals and layups that gave it a 66-65 advantage with 5:07 to go on an and-one drive from Tarik Phillip.
A game K-State had control of suddenly looked in doubt, but the Wildcats did a nice job of stabilizing and regaining the lead.
Things were in doubt until the end, but Barry Brown clinched the game on a transition layup with 22.9 seconds remaining.
The Wildcats have now won consecutive Big 12 games for the first time this season and will try to make it three in a row on Tuesday against Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum.
