OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.– After eliminating a pair of teams at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship and advancing to the Championship game, the West Virginia women’s basketball team moves to its highest Associated Press ranking in program history at No. 5 this week.

 

The previous highest-ever ranking in program history was No. 6 on Dec. 20, 2010 and WVU remained there for four consecutive weeks. That season, WVU also had five seniors.

 

“I am proud of the way this team has fought all season,” coach Mike Carey said. “I told them earlier this season, respect is earned, and I feel like this ranking shows we are earning some respect with where we are now. I don’t pay too much attention to these rankings because no matter where we’re ranked, teams are not going to back down and we still have to work hard to win games.”

 

With a 29-3 overall record, the Mountaineers have now matched the 2010 team for most wins in a single season. The Mountaineers shared the regular-season Big 12 title with Baylor, and will face the top-seeded Lady Bears in the championship game, tonight, at 9 p.m. ET, on Fox Sports 1. Baylor has won the Big 12 Conference Championship title in each of the last three years.