Jones scores 16, No. 6 West Virginia forces 24 turnovers to easily beat Duquesne 68-39

No. 6 West Virginia cruises past Duquesne 68-39

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kevin Jones scored 16 points and No. 6 West Virginia built a big lead early and manhandled Duquesne 68-39 on Wednesday night.

Wellington Smith added 11 points and Da’Sean Butler scored 10 for the Mountaineers (6-0).

West Virginia bounced back from a 10-day layoff and had little trouble beating the Dukes (6-3) for the seventh straight time. The Mountaineers jumped ahead by double digits four minutes into the game and led by as many as 34 points midway through the second half.

With leading scorer Melquan Bolding still recovering from a broken right wrist, Duquesne committed 24 turnovers and was held to a season low for points.

Damian Saunders led the Dukes with 12 points.

West Virginia hadn’t played since an 84-66 win over Portland on Nov. 29 in the championship game of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The Mountaineers moved up this week to their highest ranking in The Associated Press poll since they also were sixth on Feb. 23, 1982.

Despite the long layoff, coach Bob Huggins said his team’s recent practices were solid. West Virginia shot just 36 percent (24 of 66) for the game but outrebounded Duquesne 45-34 and scored 29 points off turnovers.

West Virginia’s Devin Ebanks got his first start of the season after missing the first three games for undisclosed personal reasons. He scored 14 points twice as a reserve in wins over Texas A&M and Portland. But Ebanks, his left hand heavily taped, made just 2 of 10 shots and scored only four points against Duquesne.

Duquesne beat Iowa earlier this season and led Pittsburgh by 16 points before falling in double overtime, but the Dukes were unprepared for West Virginia’s potent offense.

Duquesne, limited to 32 percent shooting, had three significant scoring droughts that allowed West Virginia to build its lead. Jones followed a dunk with a 3-point play during a 12-0 run that put the Mountaineers ahead 61-27 with 10:42 left in the game.

Duquesne’s 39 points tied for its fourth worst output since World War II, and the Dukes have now failed to reach 60 points in three straight games. The Dukes’ Eric Evans was coming off a 17-point effort in a 14-point win over Savannah State on Saturday but was limited to six points against West Virginia.

West Virginia jumped ahead 14-2 and five different players hit 3-pointers in the first half, putting the Mountaineers ahead by as much as 23 just before halftime.

The 42-20 halftime lead could have been even greater. Many of Duquesne’s first-half baskets were easy shots in the paint against a defense that ranks 266th in Division I in field-goal percentage allowed at 45.6 percent.

West Virginia shot just 36 percent (14 of 39) from the floor in the first half but forced 15 Duquesne turnovers before halftime.