WVU has answers to hold off Cyclones
Unbeaten Baylor hammers Texas
Taz Sherman hit two free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining and finished with 18 points as No. 17 West Virginia held on to beat Iowa State, 76-72, Tuesday night.
Sherman was 5 of 7 from the floor and made 7 of 8 shots from the line to lead the Mountaineers (12-5, 5-3 Big 12).
Iowa State’s Solomon Young returned after missing two games due to COVID-related issues and scored 15 points for Iowa State (2-10, 0-7).
West Virginia moved out to a 63-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Sherman, but then Iowa State began chipping away.
The Cyclones closed within 74-72 with 1:37 remaining on jumper by Rasir Bolton, but Iowa State missed two shots in the final minute and committed a costly turnover. Sherman hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
A layup and free throw by Young gave the Cyclones a 24-17 lead in the first half but West Virginia countered with a 19-2 run. Miles McBride scored on a dunk and followed with a jumper, giving the Mountaineers a 34-26 advantage.
West Virginia is one of six Big 12 teams ranked among the Top 25 and looks on pace to make its 10th NCAA tournament appearance in 14 seasons under coach Bob Huggins.
The Mountaineers’ next six games are against ranked teams, starting Saturday against. No. 23 Kansas.
Baylor
In another Big 12 matchup, Texas played Baylor tougher than most teams have this season. The Bears still shrugged off the Longhorns to stay unbeaten. Davion Mitchell scored 27 points and No. 2 Baylor used a big run to pull away for an 83-69 victory over sixthranked Texas. Baylor (17-0, 90 Big 12) has won every game this season by at least eight points and looked to be in a fight with its closest pursuer in the conference. Texas (114, 5-3) was within six points late before Baylor pulled away behind open 3-pointers from Adam Flagler and Mitchell.
Penn State
Freshman Jonathan Davis scored a career-high 17 points and No. 19 Wisconsin resumed its usual dominance of Penn State with a 72-56 victory. Brad Davidson added 13 points for the Badgers (14-5, 8-4 Big Ten), whose 13-game winning streak over the Nittany Lions ended with an 81-71 loss at Penn State on Saturday. Wisconsin hasn’t lost at home to Penn State since 1995 and has won 27 of the past 30 meetings. Davison made a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, giving Wisconsin a 33-31 lead it never relinquished. The shot was part of an 18-2 spurt that included two other 3s from Davison.