Social media exploded on Friday night as West Virginia delivered one of their best of the season, by taking down No. 15 Duke with only five players. After a halftime scuffle wiped out nearly the entire Mountaineers’ bench, fans thought the game was over before it even resumed. Instead, WVU came out of the break looking like a team possessed.

The trouble began as time expired in the first half. West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison attempted a three-pointer that Duke forward Jordan Wood blocked. Wood then appeared to yell “Let’s go” in Harrison’s direction, igniting tempers on both sides. Harrison retaliated by pushing Wood, sparking shoving and yelling from multiple players. The skirmish escalated as players from both teams left their benches to join the fray, a violation of NCAA rules that carries severe consequences.

In the aftermath, the officials ejected seven players in total. From West Virginia, starters Jordan Thomas, Kierra Wheeler, Gia Cooke, Carter McCray, and Madison Parrish were tossed for leaving the bench. Harrison, already at the center of the initial altercation, was also ejected. Duke saw Jordan Wood removed for fighting, while Ashlon Jackson and Ari Roberson were flagged for contact and given flagrant fouls.

With most of their bench ejected, West Virginia was left with only five players for the entire second half. And while many expected Duke to take control, the Mountaineers just refused to fold. Sydney Shaw, the lone starter still on the court, carried them, helping West Virginia outscore Duke 24-9 in the third quarter and hold off in the fourth. Shaw played 38 of 40 minutes, contributing 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Whereas her teammate Célia Rivière chipped in with 12 points and eight boards, while Gia Cooke had 12 points before her ejection.

With another win under their belt, West Virginia remained undefeated in the 2025-26 season, while for their rivals, this was their second loss of the season, after losing to Baylor in their season opener.

Opening about Duke’s loss, coach Kara Lawson, in a post-game interview, said, “Clearly, I didn’t have them ready after everything that happened before halftime to come out. They (Mountaineers) were ready to play and compete, and we were not. The thing I love about basketball, even in moments like this, is you have to earn your wins, and it goes to the best competitors. And they were the better competitors in the second half.”

However, fans didn’t hold back, as they flooded social media with reactions and criticism aimed at the Blue Devils.

Reactions pour in after West Virginia’s upset

“Kara, you got some splainin to do…😬” one fan wrote, pointing directly at the scrutiny that will now follow Duke’s head coach, Kara Lawson, after losing the game, especially considering Duke shot only 37.5% from the field and 16.7% from three-point range, managing just one player in double digits (Taina Mair with 10 points).

Whereas another added, “ohhh that’s embarrassing for Duke 😬,” while one fan said, “No excuse for Duke,” echoing the disbelief that every fan has. Another wrote, “Might as well rank WVU.” This loss comes as a massive surprise to many because the Mountaineers are an unranked team. Not to forget that history favored the Duke.

Heading into the game, the Devils were 2-0 against the Mountaineers. It was only the third time these two teams had met since November 27, 1996, when Duke had prevailed. Another thing is that Duke never dominated heavily. Sure, the team was ahead 15-11 in the first quarter. And at the under–five-minute media timeout in the second quarter, Virginia was still searching for its first field goal. But, still, Duke barely took any advantage and scored barely 4 points in that window. 

Also, defensively, Duke is holding opponents to just 25.5 percent shooting, ranking second in the ACC and third nationally. The WVU still found a way to eclipse that strength of theirs. Duke’s top scorer, Toby Fournier, who had been posting double digits in all games before this, was held to just 9 points. The team turned the ball over 11 times in the second half, which WVU converted into points.

One fan bashing the powerhouse’s program wrote, “Duke literally can’t score 70 points on an open basket.”

While the Mountaineers celebrate this much-deserved win, Kara Lawson and the women in blue have work to do on their playing style, or else this season may be over for them sooner than expected.