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 After racing 60 feet for the go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds
left, Staten sped to the opposite end and disrupted the game-ending
shot, carrying the No. 23 Mountaineers to a 62-61 upset on Monday
night.
"We just played till the end," said Staten, who celebrated with fans
during the court-storming. His 20 points helped West Virginia (20-6,
8-5 Big 12) stop a four-game slide against ranked opponents and, for
the moment, also prevented Kansas (21-5, 10-3) from running away
with an 11th consecutive conference title.
Forward Perry Ellis scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half
and guard Frank Mason added 18 for the Jayhawks, who lost in
Morgantown for the second straight season by blowing a six-point
lead in the final three minutes.
"This shows we can beat any team in the league," said Staten, who
overcame leg cramps and missing a potential go-ahead jumper in the
final minute. The senior earned a second chance with 8.3 seconds
left when Mason's missed shot was knocked out of bounds.
 After a timeout, the Mountaineers inbounded to Staten, who caught
the pass at three-quarters court, raced toward the lane and spun
away from Mason for a stunningly easy layup as other Kansas
defenders stayed glued to 3-point shooters.
"Obviously they were trying to guard everybody," Staten said. "I
don't think anybody wants to give up that last-second shot, so
nobody helped (Mason) and that left me open."
Kansas coach Bill Self couldn't believe the breakdown.
"I thought (Staten) made a nice play but we couldn't have defended
it any worse," he said. "You have to keep the ball in front of you
and we did not do a good job at that."
As the smallish crowd at the WVU Coliseum roared, forward Jamari
Traylor alertly fired a long outlet pass to the streaking Ellis.
Staten, having hung a U-turn after his big basket, lunged close
enough to force a bobble and Ellis' point-blank buzzer-beater rolled
off the rim.
"I rushed it a little bit, but I should have made it," Ellis said.
Kansas lost a 59-54 lead when Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter
swished back-to-back 3s within a 28-second span. Though Mason put
the Jayhawks ahead again with an uncontested drive for a layup at
the 2:13 mark, Kansas failed to scratch on its last four
possessions, including a missed one-and-one by forward Landen Lucas.
Carter scored 13 points off the bench for the Mountaineers, who had
been blown out in four straight losses to ranked opponents.
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Among Staten's nine first-half points was a banked-in runner that
put West Virginia ahead 33-30 with 22 seconds left. Kansas missed a
chance to answer when forward Kelly Oubre's tip-in came after the
buzzer.
That loomed large at game's end, though Self was more disappointed
in Kansas vein outrebounded 37-32. The Mountaineers grabbed 22
offensive rebounds, helping mitigate 37-percent shooting.
"We were soft on the glass, no question," Self said. "They were
quick to the ball and they're a very athletic team."
NOTES: Kansas F Kelly Oubre finished with 14 points, but G Wayne
Selden contributed only four points on five shots. He had been
scoring 16 points over his previous five games. ... Mountaineers F
Devin Williams, two days removed from spraining his right thumb at
Iowa State, made four of five first-half shots and dished out three
assists before the break. ... West Virginia's Brandon Watkins was
ruled out during pregame warmups. The sophomore forward was still
nursing the left knee sprain he sustained at the end of Wednesday's
win over Kansas State. ... The Mountaineers' previous four opponents
shot 61 percent, 54 percent, 56 percent and 56 percent. ... Under a
contract extension signed in 2012, Huggins receives a $25,000 bonus
for beating the Jayhawks. ... Kansas came in with 21 victories, the
26th consecutive season the Jayhawks reached that total. ... West
Virginia's average attendance through 13 homes was 9,850, but the
Big Monday crowd at the 14,000-seat WVU Coliseum was less than half
of capacity with snowstorms impacting the state.
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