Iowa St. vs. West Virginia: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

Not even magic can stand in the way of the West Virginia Mountaineers this season. Hilton Magic, that is. 

The No. 14 Mountaineers walked right into Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday and outlasted the No. 13 Iowa State Cyclones 81-76. West Virginia overcame a 15-point deficit in the first half and finished the contest on a 9-2 run, which was spearheaded by a Jaysean Paige three-pointer in the final 70 seconds to give the road team the lead for good.

The Big 12 Conference's Twitter account captured the momentum-swinging shot:   

Greg Madia of WVSports.com reacted to the victory:

The Mountaineers are tied atop the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma at 7-2, while Iowa State fell to 5-4. West Virginia's win on the road was even more impressive since it was without forward Jonathan Holton, who is serving an indefinite suspension due to a violation of team rules. The athletic Holton is typically one of the most important pieces in West Virginia's famed press defense, but the Mountaineers  forced 16 turnovers Tuesday without him.

Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk had a word of warning for the rest of the country:

Paige led the way with 23 points and six rebounds off the bench on 10-of-17 shooting, and Devin Williams posted a monster double-double down low with 17 points and 18 boards. Georges Niang paced the effort for the Cyclones with 20 points, but he had only two rebounds and turned the ball over eight times.

Despite the loss, the Cyclones jumped out to a 25-10 lead in the first half behind impressive plays such as Deonte Burton's rim-rattling slam, as the Big 12 Conference relayed on Twitter:

However, Niang was forced to exit with two early fouls, and Iowa State's lead rapidly disappeared. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register noticed the offense wasn't as smooth without its superstar, as the Mountaineers cut the Cyclones' lead to one late in the half:

Iowa State rebounded some and took a 37-33 lead into the locker room. The Big 12 Conference's Twitter account shared Jameel McKay's slam to end the half:

West Virginia kept its momentum from late in the first half rolling in the second half and took a 56-52 lead at the under-12-minute timeout. Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian pointed to Williams' persistence on the boards as a major reason for the turnaround:

Matt Thomas, Burton and Niang combined for eight straight points for the Cyclones to open up a 60-58 advantage, and Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune commented on the offensive style during the burst:

The teams traded momentum swings, and West Virginia seized a 64-63 lead with less than six minutes remaining. Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports said it was "shocking" Iowa State was not beating West Virginia's press Tuesday. Sports Illustrated noted one problem in particular for the home team:

However, Niang made up for his struggles with a critical stretch late in the game, as Cyclone Basketball shared on Twitter:

The Mountaineers battled back to tie the game at 70, but Niang again scored to put Iowa State ahead by two with just over two minutes remaining. Hines blamed the Cyclones defense for the late Mountaineers charge:

West Virginia took possession down 74-72, and Paige drilled the clutch three-pointer with just over a minute left. The Student Section was not impressed with the home team's defense on the critical possession:

From there, West Virginia connected on six free throws down the stretch to create separation and walked away with the monumental 81-76 road victory.

What's Next?

Iowa State must find a way to bounce back, especially since it lost to Texas A&M on Saturday as well. Fortunately for the Cyclones, they have three unranked opponents next on the docket in Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas before a showdown with No. 15 Baylor.

Iowa State plays West Virginia again and Kansas later in the season, so it must take care of business against the upcoming winnable opponents if it wants to remain in the Big 12 title race.

As for West Virginia, it is in the middle of a challenging stretch. The Mountaineers lost to Florida on Saturday and play Baylor and Kansas in the next two contests. They also have showdowns with Oklahoma, Iowa State and Baylor again in the final five regular-season games.

West Virginia is certainly going to have to earn a Big 12 title with that daunting slate.

Postgame Reaction

Iowa State guard Monte Morris tipped his cap to the opposition after the loss, per Cyclone Basketball: “They just got us out of sync tonight, you have to give those guys credit.”

Niang also reflected on a rare home loss for the Cyclones, per Birch: “I haven't lost here much in my career so it's just a gut wrenching feeling.”

Niang committed eight turnovers and discussed his share of the blame, per Birch: “That's just unacceptable. That type of stuff can't happen from a senior so you can point the finger right at me.”

As for West Virginia, Williams drilled six critical free throws down the stretch and commented on his focus, per Allan Taylor of WVMetroNews.com: “I was dialed in, baby.”

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins talked about his team’s ability to overcome a 15-point deficit, per Taylor: “There’s a lot of things we don’t do well, but they compete.”

As long as the Mountaineers continue to compete like they did Tuesday, they will be a factor in the Big 12 race all season.