Darian DeVries’ first Big 12 game brought about a piece of history and one of the more improbable victories for West Virginia’s men’s basketball program.
Missing starters Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry — two of WVU’s three players averaging double-figure scoring — the Mountaineers were undaunted at No. 7 Kansas and claimed their first win at Allen Fieldhouse, getting a Javon Small free throw with 1.8 seconds left that made the difference in a 62-61 victory.
“Incredibly proud of the guys’ effort, especially with the circumstances — the injuries and travel,” said DeVries, WVU’s first-year head coach, on postgame radio. “We talk about there are no excuses in this program. We’re going to line up and go compete. This atmosphere is everything it was made out to be, but like I told them, they’re not playing for them and it’s our 5 versus their 5 — nothing else matters.”
DeVries and Hansberry combined to make up 33 percent of the team’s scoring and 31 percent of the rebounding through 11 games.
DeVries, a senior forward, has now missed four straight games as a result of an upper body injury that’s brought his status for the remainder of this season into question. Hansberry suffered a right ankle injury less than 1 minute into a December 22 matchup with Mercyhurst and missed his first game as a Mountaineer as a result. WVU also left late Monday — about 8 hours later than anticipated — as a result of needing a new plane to travel on.
All West Virginia (10-2, 1-0) did was win for the first time in 12 tries at a venue where Kansas (9-3) entered 321-18 under head coach Bill Self, including 161-12 in Big 12 play.
The Mountaineers never trailed in the process, though there were no shortage of tense moments down the stretch.
“I thought for a couple minutes we were going to have the 12th one,” coach DeVries said.
What was an 18-point second-half lead and a 48-33 WVU advantage with 13:05 to play was trimmed to 50-48 when Kansas’ Zeke Mayo made two free throws with 6:18 remaining.
Although the Mountaineers countered with five straight points on a KJ Tenner jumper and a three-pointer from former KU guard Joseph Yesufu to lead by seven, Mayo made a triple with 1:26 to play that cut what had been a 59-53 WVU lead in half.
Hunter Dickinson’s follow-up basket with 35 seconds remaining brought the Jayhawks to within one point, and they had a chance at their first lead after David Coit stole Toby Okani’s inbound pass, only for Okani to block KJ Adams near the rim.
That led to two Small free throws for a three-point lead with 24 seconds left, but Mayo responded with a conventional three-point play to tie the contest at 61 with 15 seconds left.
WVU then elected to drain the clock, before Small drew Flory Bidunga off his feet with a ball fake, leading to contact on a long two-point attempt that sent the Mountaineers’ leading scorer to the free-throw line. After missing the first foul shot, Small sank the second for a one-point lead.
“Guys played tremendous basketball for a long period of time and then they weathered the storm,” coach DeVries said. “It’s easy to fold. A lot of stuff is going against you. You’re missing bunnies, they’re starting to make some and the crowd is into it. Javon was able to make a veteran play — get a guy in the air, draw a foul and make the one free throw we needed to walk out of here with a win.”
Dickinson then threw an inbound pass nearly the entire length of the court to Adams, who was unable to get a clean look off as time expired while being defended by Jonathan Powell.
West Virginia led 33-20 at halftime on the strength of its defense, which held the Jayhawks to 7-for-24 shooting.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, got 12 first-half points on 6-for-8 shooting from Eduardo Andre, making his second career start at WVU.
Andre finished with a team-high 15 points and made all but two of his nine field-goal attempts to go with six rebounds and four blocked shots.
Small scored 13 points, snatched a team-high 11 boards and dished out six assists.
Powell contributed 11 points and made half of the team’s six threes.
“We did a lot of lot of different stuff with Javon that we’ve been working on for a while with Tucker out where we have to get him on the move a little bit more,” coach DeVries said. “Some double ball screens, and wanted to get KJ Adams who’s their primary helper on all the ball screen rolls when Dickerson is out, come out to guard in space a little bit more. Their help guys were a little bit out of position and they weren’t sure where to do that.
“When they went to their big lineup, it messed us up a little bit. They cross matched and put their big on Sencire Harris and we weren’t as effective with that lineup, so we have to figure out some things there when other teams try and do that.”
WVU shot 43 percent (26 of 60) and made 4-of-6 free throws.
KU shot 39 percent (19 of 49) and made 19-of-21 free throws, while being whistled for one first-half foul.
Mayo’s 27 points led all players and he made all 13 of his free throws.
Dajuan Harris Jr. added 11 points and seven assists in defeat, while Dickinson finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Kansas had won 33 consecutive conference openers before being upended by the Mountaineers in what is the only regular season matchup between the two teams this season.
Guard Jayden Stone missed his 12th straight game to start this season, though he took part in warm-ups and was dressed on the bench.
“This team is starting to grow in confidence and confidence is a very dangerous thing,” coach DeVries said. “All of a sudden, you can achieve things that nobody else thought was possible.“