West Virginia Upsets Duke After Wild Brawl

Unforgettable Night: Mountaineers Overcome Chaos to Defeat No. 15 Duke

In a night that will be remembered for its chaos and resilience, the unranked West Virginia Mountaineers pulled off one of the most improbable upset wins of the college basketball season. Despite losing six players to ejections at halftime—including four starters—West Virginia defeated No. 15 Duke 57-49 in a game defined by a halftime brawl and an inspirational second-half performance.

The Brawl That Changed Everything

The tipping point occurred with seconds left in the first half. Duke’s Jordan Wood blocked West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison’s buzzer-beating 3-point attempt, then taunted Harrison by flexing and yelling in her face. Harrison shoved Wood in response, triggering a melee that spilled across the court. As players from both teams exchanged shoves and words, five Mountaineers left the bench to intervene—a violation that automatically ejected them per NCAA rules.

Officials ultimately ejected seven players total: Harrison and Wood for fighting, plus four West Virginia starters (Gia Cooke, Carter McCray, Madison Parrish, and Kierra Wheeler) for leaving the bench. Duke’s Ashlon Jackson and Arianna Roberson received flagrant fouls. The Mountaineers entered the second half with just five players available— reserves Loghan Johnson, Riley Makalusky, Célia Rivière, Sydney Woodley, and starter Sydney Shaw—trailing 23-20.

"I've never seen anything like it. We had about two minutes to come up with a game plan. I knew we were going to play the next 20 minutes with five."

— Mark Kellogg, West Virginia Head Coach

The Unbelievable Second Half

Faced with insurmountable odds, the shorthanded Mountaineers responded with an inspired 24-9 third-quarter run. Senior forward Célia Rivière, a Paris native playing a season-high 22 minutes, scored all 12 of her points during this stretch, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Shaw dominated defensively and offensively, playing all 38 minutes and delivering clutch free throws in the final moments to seal the victory.

"He told me to play smarter, we just adjusted on defense," Rivière said postgame. "I was really proud of the team, the coaches, the players—I was really happy to win the game."

What It Means

West Virginia (4-0) proved its toughness against a ranked opponent, while Duke (2-2) suffered its second loss after starting the season No. 7. The Blue Devils’ struggles included poor shooting (38% from the field, 17% from 3) and free throws (45%), but the story was West Virginia’s resilience. "I couldn’t be more proud of the resiliency, the guts, the grit," Kellogg added.

West Virginia now hosts Appalachian State on Thursday, while Duke travels to South Florida. Both teams will reflect on this game: Duke on discipline, and West Virginia on overcoming adversity.