West Virginia was without leading scorer Meg Bulger, but they still defeated #11/13 DePaul 82-70 in Morgantown last night.

This was the first game for the Mountaineers without Bulger, who injured her knee in Sunday's game against St. John's. LaQuita Owens stepped up in Bulger's absence to score a career high 20 points. DePaul was the highest-ranked opponent the WVU women have defeated since 1992.

DePaul could not overcome a 14 point halftime deficit in which Khara Smith only scored two field goals. Smith finished the game with 20 points. The Blue Demons continue on the road with another tough test at Rutgers on Saturday. The Mountaineers next face UConn.

Also last night, Notre Dame, missing from the AP rankings this week for the first time since the end of the 2003-04 seasons, defeated Syracuse 67-55 last night. Freshman guard Lindsay Schrader scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Irish.