Miles lifts West Va. to victory
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. >> Daxter Miles Jr. was determined to give West Virginia’s five seniors a proper send-off in their final home game.
He also boosted the Mountaineers’ mindset heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
Miles tied a career high with 23 points to lead No. 10 West Virginia to an 8776 victory over No. 24 Iowa State on Friday night.
Miles scored 16 of his team’s 18 points during an eight-minute stretch spanning both halves to help the Mountaineers jump ahead by double digits.
“It was just for the seniors tonight, man. Just for the seniors,” said Miles, a junior. “My teammates were passing me the ball. Momentum man, feeding off each other.”
Iowa State coach Steve Prohm singled out Miles’ play but said it was his hustle going after missed shots that stood out.
“I mean, six offensive rebounds,” Prohm said. “That’s what really hurt us.”
The Mountaineers (24-7, 12-6 Big 12) clinched the second seed in next week’s conference tournament behind top-ranked Kansas.
Iowa State (20-10, 12-6) can earn the third seed if No. 11 Baylor loses at Texas on Saturday.
“We’ve got to focus now,” Miles said. “It’s time to focus.”
Nathan Adrian added 16 points, Jevon Carter had 13 and Elijah Macon scored 10 for West Virginia.
Naz Mitrou-Long led the Cyclones with 22 points. Monte Morris and Deonte Burton scored 17 apiece, and Matt Thomas had 16.
Iowa State had its sixgame winning streak snapped and fell to 2-5 against ranked teams this season. WICHITA STATE 82, BRADLEY 56>> Darral Willis Jr. scored 17 points and Rashard Kelly added 14 as No. 21 Wichita State overpowered Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
The second-seeded Shockers (28-4) shook off a slow start to beat Bradley (13-20) for the 16th straight time. Bradley, the No. 7 seed, hasn’t beaten Wichita State since Feb. 24, 2010.
Darrell Brown led the Braves with 18 points, and Antoine Pittman had 13.