GameTracker
West Virginia's size, strength, defense and a screaming crowd of 12,000-plus around 10,000 fans took the Dukes to the "virtual cleaners."
The Dukes were led by junior Damian Saunders with 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Saunders, who averages 35.6 minutes a game, played just 25 tonight because of foul trouble. He made 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 at the charity stripe.
Freshman Sean Johnson scored eight points in 19 minutes off the bench. Classmate Andre Marhold had two of the Dukes' five blocks.
West Virginia ran out to a 25-10 lead midway through the first half. Duquesne cut the lead to 11 points, 39-21. on Johnson's layup--powered by B.J. Monteiro's defensive rebound--and an Eric Evans pass. Duquesne never got closer.
Da'Sean Butler's last second jump shot put the Mountaineers up 40-22 at the half.
WVU scored the first six points after the break, one more than at the start of the first half. The hosts used a 15-0 run to get a 61-27 lead with 10:43 left in the game. The final score was 61-38.
The Mountaineers scored 21 second-chance points and 25 points off the Dukes' season-high 24 turnovers.
Kevin Jones, a 6-foot-8, 250 pound sophomore forward, led three WVU players in double-digits. He also had a game-best nine rebounds. Jones had been named to the All-76 Classic Tournament team Thanksgiving weekend.
Senior, 6-foot-7. forward Darryl Bryant dished out seven assists. Sophomore forward Devin Ebanks (6-9, 215) had three blocks. Jones and Bryant each recorded three steals.
Neither Duquesne nor West Virginia shot that well (DU 31.8%, WVU 36.4%), but the Mountaineers had 20 offensive rebounds and took 22 more shots than Duq.
The Dukes next game is against cross-town rival Robert Morris on Saturday, Dec. 12th. Game time at the Palumbo Center is 7:00 p.m.