WVU Sports Hall of Fame
Donna Abbott, who played women's basketball from 1989-92, is one of three players in school history to score more than 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds.
A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Abbott scored 1,656 points during her career as a forward, ranking ninth all-time in school history. She averaged 15.3 points per game during her career, the ninth-best scoring mark in school annals.
Abbott appeared in 108 games with 103 starts and finished her career with 1,020 rebounds. She scored a then-school record 37 points against St. Joseph's in 1989 and pulled in a career-best 20 rebounds against Rhode Island in 1992.
She produced 25 20-point games, which are tied for the ninth most in school history and had 52 career double-doubles in points and rebounds, the second most in WVU history.
In single-game program history, Abbott holds the fourth-highest scoring performance, with her 34 points against George Washington on Jan. 29, 1990, and boasts the second-highest scoring game on the road, when she tallied 37 points at St. Joseph's on Feb. 18, 1989. Her 37 points against the Hawks that year also are good for the program's third-best scoring performance and remains the top offensive outing by a freshman in program history. During the game, Abbott went 12-of-15 (80%) from the field, the second-best shooting percentage by a freshman in a game, and made 13 free throws, the most in a game by a freshman in program history.
Abbott played on WVU's first two NCAA Tournament teams (1989 and 1992). The 1989 squad won WVU's first conference tournament title (Atlantic 10) and the 1992 NCAA Sweet 16 team went 26-4, winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season title and posting a school-record 22 straight wins. She helped WVU to an 86-34 (.717) record during her four-year career.
Abbott was named to the 1992 All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team in 1990 and 1991. She earned All-Atlantic 10 Freshman Team honors in 1989.
The 1992 team was the first team in school history to finish the year ranked in the Associated Press poll (14th).
Abbott graduated from West Virginia with a bachelor's degree in physical education.
