West Virginia Takes Down No. 12 Kansas State, Tightening Big 12 Title Chase

Mark Kellogg's group is climbing its way up the Big 12 standings.

West Virginia University head coach Mark Kellogg / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

All Mark Kellogg knows how to do is win. On Monday, No. 17 West Virginia (21-5, 11-4) defeated No. 12 Kansas State (24-4, 12-3), 70-57.

It was a good crowd on hand at the WVU Coliseum, and once WVU really turned up their fullcourt pressure and began forcing K-State turnovers, the fans played a big factor in the Mountaineers creating some separation.

Midway through the third quarter, WVU pushed it out to a 13-point lead, but the Wildcats wouldn't go away easy. They kept getting it back to within eight, keeping the game in reach until the Mountaineers went on a 9-0 run thanks to JJ Quinerly taking over the game on both ends of the floor. She finished the night with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Monday afternoon's win was a massive deal for West Virginia. With the win, WVU climbs to within a game and a half of the top spot in the conference with just three games remaining in the regular season.

TCU, Baylor, Kansas State, Utah, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State are all in the mix for the regular season title, with just three games separating each end of the group. WVU will face two of those teams - TCU and Utah - as part of its final three games.

Winning at TCU on Sunday would significantly increase their chances of winning the regular season title. WVU would then host Utah and is a perfect 15-0 at the Coliseum this season. They'll wrap up the slate with a road trip to Cincinnati, which is just a few games over .500. The ball is in the Mountaineers' court, can they deliver?

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