Sunday, December 21
Morgantown, W.Va.
2 P.M.
West Virginia University
11-2,1-0Big 12
101
vs
46
Houston
6-6,0-1Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Houston
11
10
13
12
46
West Virginia
27
15
39
20
101
West Virginia Breaks Century Mark in Big 12 Opener Against Houston
December 21, 2025 05:34 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia women's basketball team won its fifth straight contest and its first in Big 12 play, defeating Houston 101-46 on Sunday inside Hope Coliseum.
The 100 points in the game marks the first time in program history the Mountaineers have broken the century mark in a Big 12 game. The 55-point victory is also the largest margin of victory in a conference game.
Senior guard Sydney Shaw paced the Mountaineers with 22 points. She tied the career best mark with five made three on 8 of 11 from the floor. Junior guard Gia Cooke finished in double figures for the 12th straight contest, finishing with 17 points.
Junior guard Riley Makalusky also made five threes in the contest, knocking down four in the fourth quarter. It marked the first time a Mountaineer duo has made five threes in a game.
Graduate forward Kierra Wheeler finished with 12 points as senior guard Jordan Harrison added 11 and sophomore forward Jordan Thomas tallied 10. Wheeler added six rebounds and six steals, while Harrison added six assists and four steals. Junior forward Carter McCray finished with a game-high seven rebounds.
Defensively, West Virginia forced 36 turnovers, reaching 24-plus for the 8th time this season. West Virginia finished the game shooting 36 of 70 (51.4%) from the field. The Cougars made just 17 of 41 attempts in the game, including just four made three-pointers.
WVU dominated the glass in the contest, outrebounding Houston 40-25, including a 16-3 advantage on the offensive glass. West Virginia scored 50 points from inside the paint to go along with a 47.8% mark from beyond the arc.
The Mountaineers scored the first nine points of the game, not allowing a Houston score till the seven-minute mark. Another 9-0 Mountaineer run, this time over four minutes, increasing the WVU advantage to 19-2. WVU outscored the Cougars 9-4 over the final two minutes to take a 27-11 lead at the break. Cooke paced the Mountaineers with nine points as eight Mountaineers finished the opening 10 minutes with points.
Houston scored the opening five points of the second quarter to cut into the WVU lead during the opening minute. A pair of free throws from Cooke and a Shaw triple pushed the WVU lead back to 16 points just a minute later. West Virginia maintained its advantage to the media timeout before closing the half on a 7-2 run and a 21-point lead.
Cooke led all scorers at the break with 13 points, followed by Shaw with 12. Shaw knocked down four triples in the half on a 4 of 5 mark from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers forced the Cougars into 19 turnovers as Harrison managed four steals and five assists.
The Mountaineers lit up the scoreboard, scoring 39 points in the third quarter. The mark is the highest in a quarter of the program's history. WVU added 20 points in the fourth quarter on its way to a 101-46 win.
Next up, West Virginia opens the new year against Kansas on Thursday, Jan. 1. Tipoff for the contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in Lawrence, Kansas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The 100 points in the game marks the first time in program history the Mountaineers have broken the century mark in a Big 12 game. The 55-point victory is also the largest margin of victory in a conference game.
Senior guard Sydney Shaw paced the Mountaineers with 22 points. She tied the career best mark with five made three on 8 of 11 from the floor. Junior guard Gia Cooke finished in double figures for the 12th straight contest, finishing with 17 points.
Junior guard Riley Makalusky also made five threes in the contest, knocking down four in the fourth quarter. It marked the first time a Mountaineer duo has made five threes in a game.
Graduate forward Kierra Wheeler finished with 12 points as senior guard Jordan Harrison added 11 and sophomore forward Jordan Thomas tallied 10. Wheeler added six rebounds and six steals, while Harrison added six assists and four steals. Junior forward Carter McCray finished with a game-high seven rebounds.
Defensively, West Virginia forced 36 turnovers, reaching 24-plus for the 8th time this season. West Virginia finished the game shooting 36 of 70 (51.4%) from the field. The Cougars made just 17 of 41 attempts in the game, including just four made three-pointers.
WVU dominated the glass in the contest, outrebounding Houston 40-25, including a 16-3 advantage on the offensive glass. West Virginia scored 50 points from inside the paint to go along with a 47.8% mark from beyond the arc.
The Mountaineers scored the first nine points of the game, not allowing a Houston score till the seven-minute mark. Another 9-0 Mountaineer run, this time over four minutes, increasing the WVU advantage to 19-2. WVU outscored the Cougars 9-4 over the final two minutes to take a 27-11 lead at the break. Cooke paced the Mountaineers with nine points as eight Mountaineers finished the opening 10 minutes with points.
Houston scored the opening five points of the second quarter to cut into the WVU lead during the opening minute. A pair of free throws from Cooke and a Shaw triple pushed the WVU lead back to 16 points just a minute later. West Virginia maintained its advantage to the media timeout before closing the half on a 7-2 run and a 21-point lead.
Cooke led all scorers at the break with 13 points, followed by Shaw with 12. Shaw knocked down four triples in the half on a 4 of 5 mark from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers forced the Cougars into 19 turnovers as Harrison managed four steals and five assists.
The Mountaineers lit up the scoreboard, scoring 39 points in the third quarter. The mark is the highest in a quarter of the program's history. WVU added 20 points in the fourth quarter on its way to a 101-46 win.
Next up, West Virginia opens the new year against Kansas on Thursday, Jan. 1. Tipoff for the contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in Lawrence, Kansas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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Team Stats
UH
WVU
FG%
.415
.514
3FG%
.364
.478
FT%
.500
.692
RB
25
40
TO
36
12
STL
3
25
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballMark Kellogg, Sydney Shaw & Gia Cooke | Houston
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