West Virginia upsets Duke with only five players after scuffle leads to seven ejections
- - West Virginia upsets Duke with only five players after scuffle leads to seven ejections
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYNovember 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
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The West Virginia women's basketball team upset No. 11 Duke on Friday despite losing its entire bench during a skirmish at the end of the second quarter that led to seven total ejections between both teams.
The incident happened at the halftime buzzer at Colonial Hall in West Virginia as the Blue Devils led the Mountaineers 23-20. Duke forward Jordan Wood blocked West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison's 3-point shot attempt as time expired and appeared to yell "Let's go" in Harrison's direction following the play. Harrison subsequently pushed Wood, which caused pushing and shoving to momentarily break out between both teams.
Both Wood and Harrison were assessed Flagrant 2 fouls for fighting and were ejected. Duke guard Ashlon Jackson and center Ari Roberson were given Flagrant 1 fouls for making contact during the incident.
West Virginia's entire bench ran onto the court during the scuffle — Jordan Thomas (starter), Kierra Wheeler (starter), Gia Cooke (starter), Carter McCray and Madison Parrish — and were also ejected, leaving the Mountaineers with only five available players for the entire second half of the contest.
It was enough to pull off an upset.
Oh my things getting chippy in this Duke vs West Virginia game🥴 pic.twitter.com/f8Mv05VEr3
— PassThaBall.com (@PassThaBall) November 15, 2025
Despite losing four of its starters to ejection, West Virginia outscored Duke 24-9 in the third quarter and led by as many as 15 points with 4:33 remaining in the game without making any substitutions. Duke went on a 12-1 run to cut the Mountaineers' lead to four points with 0:37 remaining. West Virginia's Sydney Shaw came up clutch in the end and hit four free throws to end Duke's comeback bid and pull off the upset with only five players available.
West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg pumped up the crowd after the win, putting his hand to his ear. "Come on!" he shouted as his players celebrated and sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" together.
"Disappointed in the ending of the half. I think we are better than that, we are going to learn a huge lesson," Kellogg said after the win. "But I think we've seen it in sports where things like that happen and you rally together. ... I'm so proud of that group of five. I'm proud of the whole team. ... That's as good of a win as I've probably had."
No. 1 UConn Huskies (2024-2025 record: 37-3)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MD_WzbYpStPa8wHTOBYhqA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/beeb2af06d7b5eb1b21d753a8d6ff4f3 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 1 UConn Huskies (2024-2025 record: 37-3)
">No. 1 UConn Huskies (2024-2025 record: 37-3)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MD_WzbYpStPa8wHTOBYhqA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/beeb2af06d7b5eb1b21d753a8d6ff4f3 class=caas-img>No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LREopb4QTPfjC5iBXr0_XA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/161801180cd56f0b95fed34c6728d03e class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
">No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LREopb4QTPfjC5iBXr0_XA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/161801180cd56f0b95fed34c6728d03e class=caas-img>No. 3 Texas Longhorns (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LpdeE43V6lG8CTRyhoMYjA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/365648ef65ffcaada513da0dc89123bb class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 3 Texas Longhorns (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
">No. 3 Texas Longhorns (2024-2025 record: 35-4)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LpdeE43V6lG8CTRyhoMYjA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/365648ef65ffcaada513da0dc89123bb class=caas-img>No. 4 UCLA Bruins (2024-2025 record: 34-3)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tOcfWMBF.ruatSvXaXeK7Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/54f2c7cb0448617a65aaff736d1d92f2 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 4 UCLA Bruins (2024-2025 record: 34-3)
">No. 4 UCLA Bruins (2024-2025 record: 34-3)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/tOcfWMBF.ruatSvXaXeK7Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/54f2c7cb0448617a65aaff736d1d92f2 class=caas-img>No. 5 LSU Lady Tigers (2024-2025 record: 31-6)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CYBQlU6fMWecwyPoGAKnKA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5845e73b03c9d390c2f74670a8a76d50 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 5 LSU Lady Tigers (2024-2025 record: 31-6)
">No. 5 LSU Lady Tigers (2024-2025 record: 31-6)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CYBQlU6fMWecwyPoGAKnKA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/5845e73b03c9d390c2f74670a8a76d50 class=caas-img>No. 6 Duke Blue Devils (2024-2025 record: 29-8)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/eM8e6.3RF7hUKl2z8I0XEg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/51e930624a91e07d0f7bb61aebe40329 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 6 Duke Blue Devils (2024-2025 record: 29-8)
">No. 6 Duke Blue Devils (2024-2025 record: 29-8)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/eM8e6.3RF7hUKl2z8I0XEg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/51e930624a91e07d0f7bb61aebe40329 class=caas-img>No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners (2024-2025 record: 27-8)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2ZFipsQ_g.AWf39ke.QgDQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/73cf262445f247e88033b0ba3b7d3207 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners (2024-2025 record: 27-8)
">No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners (2024-2025 record: 27-8)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2ZFipsQ_g.AWf39ke.QgDQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/73cf262445f247e88033b0ba3b7d3207 class=caas-img>No. 8 North Carolina State Wolfpack (2024-2025 record: 28-7)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kfxltlyuuOuYbif2RInaEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a4a3de75188b951a1e7834c3085cb494 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 8 North Carolina State Wolfpack (2024-2025 record: 28-7)
">No. 8 North Carolina State Wolfpack (2024-2025 record: 28-7)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kfxltlyuuOuYbif2RInaEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a4a3de75188b951a1e7834c3085cb494 class=caas-img>No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vols (2024-2025 record: 24-10)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/euFU1BZ_d6CG19nQRWBbVw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/2764e0c70d4a245860f932aafafcd6f0 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vols (2024-2025 record: 24-10)
">No. 9 Tennessee Lady Vols (2024-2025 record: 24-10)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/euFU1BZ_d6CG19nQRWBbVw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/2764e0c70d4a245860f932aafafcd6f0 class=caas-img>No. 10 Maryland Terrapins (2024-2025 record: 25-8)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iZDwy63Tb8HhYOQ2Z8uy4Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/2a51ccb0dd7303d30301d9ce25cba392 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 10 Maryland Terrapins (2024-2025 record: 25-8)
">No. 10 Maryland Terrapins (2024-2025 record: 25-8)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iZDwy63Tb8HhYOQ2Z8uy4Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/2a51ccb0dd7303d30301d9ce25cba392 class=caas-img>No. 12 TCU Horned Frogs (2024-2025 record: 34-4)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fySZcYuoxkG3gBbQMGQqXw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03ODY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ca463e05b393e75a6870a70e44fb0466 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 12 TCU Horned Frogs (2024-2025 record: 34-4)
">No. 12 TCU Horned Frogs (2024-2025 record: 34-4)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fySZcYuoxkG3gBbQMGQqXw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03ODY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ca463e05b393e75a6870a70e44fb0466 class=caas-img>No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones (2024-2025 record: 23-12)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rrm67FEv_q_LSwo7G.gGmg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c3d485666be29ab2317358aa2ad72ff7 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones (2024-2025 record: 23-12)
">No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones (2024-2025 record: 23-12)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rrm67FEv_q_LSwo7G.gGmg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c3d485666be29ab2317358aa2ad72ff7 class=caas-img>No. 24 Ohio State Buckeyes (2024-2025 record: 26-7)
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZwCy6NlAXzpijNjal1U2yA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/76519f7bf9aa4a402b90fe468bf29c47 class=caas-img data-headline="These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll" data-caption="
No. 24 Ohio State Buckeyes (2024-2025 record: 26-7)
">No. 24 Ohio State Buckeyes (2024-2025 record: 26-7)
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZwCy6NlAXzpijNjal1U2yA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/76519f7bf9aa4a402b90fe468bf29c47 class=caas-img>
1 / 13These NCAA women's basketball teams are preseason favorites. See who topped coaches' poll
No. 1 UConn Huskies (2024-2025 record: 37-3)
With only five players available, West Virginia outscored Duke 37-26 in the second half. Shaw, the only starter remaining, played 38 minutes and led the way with a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Mountaineers improved to 4-0 on the season.
Duke drops to 2-2 on the season following the loss.
It shot a dismal 38% from the field and 2-of-12 from the 3-point line. Only guard Taina Mair reached double-digits for Duke with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Jackson was held to nine points and six assists.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: West Virginia upsets Duke after scuffle leads to seven ejections
Source: “AOL Sports”
