WVU women's basketball managed an upset win over No. 15 Duke on Friday, and did it in the most unlikely way, as they had just five players available for the entire second half of play after a confrontation led to six ejections for the Mountaineers. Here are some initial takeaways from the incredible game.
This Team Is The Textbook Definition Of Resilient
Go ahead and find another team that pulls this off. Another WVU sports team, or another women's college basketball team. You can do it for both categories if you want to have fun. But facing these types of circumstances, it's rare that any team can manage what the Mountaineers did on Friday night.
You don't get more gritty, more resilient, or more fight out of a sports team than you saw out of WVU women's basketball against Duke. Down to just five players against a much lengthier, taller, and deeper opponent ranked in the Top 15 in the country, a lot of teams wouldn't have the fighting spirit WVU did. Most wouldn't have a deep enough bench to do so, even if they did have that spirit. Rich Rodriguez might call this performance hard edge. We certainly would.
Celia Riviere Needs More Playing Time
Riviere has averaged just eight minutes, two points, and one rebound per game this season, and had seen just two minutes of action before she HAD to play in the second half. She has been the definition of a reserve all season. Last season, she averaged just 10.6 minutes, 3.3 points, and 2.6 rebounds per contest.
In the second half tonight, she was the key piece to the Mountaineers winning over Duke, and she finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 22 minutes. maybe it's time to get her some more time in the rotation, because she definitely proved she can hang against the Blue Devils.
Emotions Must Be Controlled Better In The Future
The shoving match that caused the ejections should have never happened in the first place, because Jordan Harrison shouldn't have laid hands on Duke's Jordan Woods. The players who cleared the bench also must understand the rules in such a scenario and keep calm and collected on the sideline. This type of thing can't happen again, because you can't pull this type of effort off every night. Regardless of WVU's talent, they were lucky to turn a potential game-ending disaster into a stroke of brilliant basketball. They might not be so lucky if this happens again.