MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s Esa Ahmad had hoped to improve his defense entering a matchup with No. 2 Kansas. He ended up with a career scoring night.
Ahmad got plenty of open looks at the basket and broke out of a shooting slump with a career-high 27 points to lead No. 18 West Virginia to an 85-69 victory Tuesday, snapping the Jayhawks’ 18-game winning streak.
No. 1 Villanova also lost Tuesday, 74-72 to Marquette.
“I’ve kind of been passive and just passing the ball around,” Ahmad said. “I took it upon myself. My teammates looked for me and kept me positive. I love those guys for that.”
Ahmad led West Virginia in scoring over the first two months of the season but entered Tuesday’s game with four straight games in single digits.