MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Javon Little scored 12 of his 27 points in the final two minutes to lead West Virginia down Victory 64-57 over No. 2 State of Iowa on Saturday night, ending the Cyclones’ nation-leading 12-game winning streak.
Hansberry’s room The Mountaineers added 12 points (13-4, 4-2 Big 12), who defeated a ranked team for the fourth time in the season.
West Virginia fans stormed the court and joined the players in singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on the day the school honored the life of NBA great Jerry West, who died in June of this year age 86.
“We gave Jerry the win,” Small said. “We wore T-shirts from the past. Yeah, it was Jerry West’s day.”
Curtis Jones scored 18 points to lead Iowa State (15-2, 5-1). Keshon Gilbert added 13 points and Josh Jefferson had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Tamino Lipsey gave Iowa State its final lead at 43-41 at halftime with 7:35 left. The Cyclones scored just 14 points the rest of the game.
The Cyclones committed 14 turnovers, made just seven free throws, and seemed to be turned down for loose balls all over the court.
Meanwhile, the Mountaineers maintained their physical defensive intensity throughout the game and held the Cyclones to their lowest scoring team of the season, 28 points below average.
Small was active throughout, which didn’t go unnoticed by Mountaineers coach Darian DeVries, who shared him with the media after the game.
“He’s the best defender in the country,” DeVries said. “He is special.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
