The No. 24 West Virginia women’s basketball team committed 23 turnovers and shot 29 percent, a combination that explained a 62-54 upset loss to Duquesne on Thursday night at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (7-3) trailed 26-17 at halftime before closing to within 37-35 with 12:24 left. The Dukes (10-1) countered with nine unanswered points of their own to regain control.
“I thought we played a little bit harder the second half and cut it to two and then went right back to missing shots, missing layups, fouling them and putting them at the foul line,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “I give them credit because they played harder than we did.”
Christal Caldwell led WVU with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Ayana Dunning finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Darius Faulk contributed eight points and five rebounds in a reserve role.
Duquesne’s Wumi Agunbiade scored a game-high 15 points, while Orsi Szecsi added 12 and Vanessa Abel 10.