Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team fell to Kansas State, 71-61, in its Big 12 Conference home opener on Saturday evening, at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
 
West Virginia scoring efforts were led by junior guard KK Deans, who tallied a team-best 17 points. Senior guard Madisen Smith netted 13 points to also finish in double figures. Fifth-year senior center Blessing Ejiofor tallied a team-high eight rebounds to pace WVU on the glass.
 
"(It was a) tale of two halves," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "We did exactly what we wanted to do defensively and offensively in the first half. The second half, we did the opposite. I don't know why. We didn't change anything. It's just the effort in the first half versus the effort in the second half."
 
West Virginia fell behind early in the contest, as K-State hit a pair of 3's to open the game on an 8-2 run. With 6:21 to go in the quarter, Smith converted an and-1 try, which was followed up by a Deans triple to tie the game. The Wildcats would score before the first media timeout to retake the lead.
 
Following a three-minute scoreless stretch, fifth-year senior forward Ari Gray was the first to score after the break, but KSU followed up with a 3-pointer to hold the lead. WVU went on to sink four free throws in the final minute of the first quarter to take a 14-13 lead over Kansas State heading into the second.
 
WVU and K-State traded scores for the first three minutes of the second quarter and jockeyed for the lead. With 6:44 remaining in the quarter, West Virginia scored seven unanswered points to jump ahead in the contest. The Wildcats added a bucket before the media timeout, but the Mountaineers scored as well to take a 9-2 run and a 29-23 lead into the break.
 
West Virginia sank a pair of free throws after the timeout, but Kansas State followed up with a 3-pointer. WVU netted a pair of scores and K-State scored once more before the half, but the Mountaineers held a 35-28 lead over the Wildcats after two quarters of play.
 
Kansas State scored a pair of baskets to begin the third to chip into WVU's lead, but three points from the Mountaineers helped to keep the advantage intact to begin the second half. West Virginia ended up stretching its lead to eight points with under six minutes to play in the quarter, but a pair of K-State 3's made it a four-point game at the third-quarter media break.
 
Three Wildcat free throws cut WVU's lead to one point following the timeout. Back-to-back scores by WVU helped stretch the lead, but K-State's Jaelyn Glenn kept the game within one point with a score from downtown. Kansas State went on to tie the game with 1:19 to go in the quarter before Jaelyn Glenn sank another 3, as West Virginia trailed the Wildcats, 49-46, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
West Virginia hit back-to-back 3's to open the final quarter, but Kansas State netted 10 in response, which forced the Mountaineers to call a pair of timeouts to begin the fourth.
 
Down by seven with 5:50 to go in the game, West Virginia sank a pair of scores to cut the deficit to four points, but the Mountaineers would not score again until 56 seconds remained in the game. Meanwhile, K-State netted seven points on the other end to increase its lead to 11 points, which ultimately sealed the game.
 
WVU did score three more points before it was all said and done, but it wasn't enough to overcome the visiting Wildcats.
 
West Virginia continues its two-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 12, as the Mountaineers play host to Texas Tech at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. Tip-off against the Lady Raiders is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.