Mark Kellogg Proud of WVU Women’s Basketball for Resilience in Comeback Win Over Duke

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Five Mountaineers etched their names into WVU women’s basketball history Friday night. With their backs against the wall and nobody on the bench, they topped No. 15 Duke 57-49, in the Greenbrier Tip-Off.

The remaining players after an on-court scuffle included senior guard Sydney Shaw, senior guard Sydney Woodley, senior forward Cece Riviere, junior guard Loghan Johnson and junior forward Riley Makalusky.

Head coach Mark Kellogg gave his perspective on the night, though he put it simply to start.

“That’s the craziest game that I’ve ever been a part of in my coaching career without question,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg:

"That's the craziest game I'v ever been a part of."

— Luke Blain (@LukeDBlain) November 15, 2025

All of WVU’s scoring from the first half was ejected as the Mountaineers trailed 23-20. A combined 37 points from the remaining five made the comeback possible.

“Those five, they gutted that thing out. I’ve never seen anything like it. We had, I don’t know, I think about two minutes to come up with a really, really quick game plan knowing we were gonna play the next 20 minutes with five,” Kellogg said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the guts, the resiliency, the grit,” he added.

The new game plan included a rare lineup, not even attempting offensive rebounds and making changes among the defensive scheme.

“We moved some positions. We played a lot of zone. We put Rylee in the middle of it, which we’ve never done. I don’t think she’s ever played one second, um, in that position. But like, Shaw led us, carried us. That’s what seniors do. Cece was phenomenal. Rylee hit some big shots, would Wood defends her you know what off, and Loghan was rebounding and flying around,” Kellogg said.

WVU shot 26 free throws and converted 20, which Kellogg said was important in slowing the game down and giving the team small breaks in the action.

“Getting to the free throw line so much in the third quarter was actually a benefit for us, because it kept stopping the action. So, that was actually pretty crucial. The third quarter, probably not a lot of fun to watch, but we’re going to the free throw line a lot and I’m telling them, ‘Catch your breath, catch your breath,'” Kellogg said.

Now, WVU will prepare to play Appalachian State at 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 20 at the Hope Coliseum.

Find more coverage of WVU women’s basketball at WV Sports Now.