CHARLESTON FALLS IN FIRST ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT
Ben Kane
DURHAM, N.C. (Mar. 20, 2026) – Charleston saw its season come to an end with an 81-64 loss to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon in Durham, N.C.
The setback snapped a five-game win streak for the Cougars, who were competing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
With 27 wins next to its name this season, Charleston had its winningest campaign on route to claiming its inaugural CAA title.
Taryn Barbot had one of her best performances of the year, pouring in 36 points. Scoring on 6-of-12 shooting from deep, Barbot’s point tally was the most amongst all players against Duke this season. Her sister, Taylor, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three turnovers.
Toby Fournier led the Blue Devils with 24 points in the matchup.
Fournier was unstoppable in the opening three minutes, scoring nine quick points. However, Taryn and Taylor Barbot were unbothered by this start and combined for the Cougars’ first 12 points to take a 12-11 lead with 4:54 left in the frame.
The stretch included a 7-0 run, which was highlighted by Taryn Barbot’s corner trey to pull the Cougars within one point. Taylor Barbot’s trip to the charity stripe reversed the scoreline and gave the Cougars their only advantage of the contest.
Both teams traded points for the next minute and a half before the Blue Devils rattled off a 9-0 stretch to take a 25-16 lead into the second quarter.
Duke pulled ahead by as many as 20 in the second quarter, establishing a lead the Cougars weren’t able to overcome.