West Virginia defeats Duquesne 96-83 in Morgantown

The Mountaineers (2-1) managed to hold off the Dukes (1-2) to avenge last season’s loss, which was West Virginia’s only loss in the previous nine meetings between the two teams.

Duquesne senior forward Ovie Soko led the Dukes with 19 points and 12 rebounds while keeping the game close in the first half. West Virginia was expected to dominate, but Duquesne refused to quit and entered the half only down six due in part to the lights-out shooting of sophomore guard Micah Mason, a transfer from Drake who attending local Highlands High School. Mason scored 13 points in the first half and finished with 18 on the game.

However, the Mountaineers’ sophomore guard Eron Harris refused to let West Virginia lose. Harris scored 17 points in the second half on the way to finishing the game with a career-high 33 points. The young guard’s relentless assault of the Dukes’ defense eventually stretched the West Virginia lead out to 15 points.

Not to be outdone, the Mountaineers’ junior point guard Juwan Staten added 28 points of his own to go along with nine assists. The backcourt combo combined to score 61 of West Virginia’s 96 points.

Though Duquesne fought valiantly, the Dukes were outgunned on the perimeter and could not hold the pace with the Mountaineers. Duquesne drew within four points with just over six minutes left in the game, but West Virginia went on a 14-1 run over the next four minutes, putting the game out of reach.

The Dukes come home to face the Albany Great Danes Wednesday night.