Mountaineers and Bears Square Off in Top 25 Matchup
January 31, 2026 11:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 22 West Virginia University women's basketball team is set for battle with its fifth ranked opponent of the season when they take on No. 14 Baylor at home on Sunday inside Hope Coliseum.
Tipoff against the Bears is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Sunday's contest will be broadcast live on the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM, with Andrew Caridi on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Varsity Network App.
Additionally, the game will be broadcast on ESPN with Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty on the call. Live stats and game notes are available on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (17-5, 7-3 Big 12) and Baylor (19-3, 8-1 Big 12) meet for the 31st time in program history. The Bears lead the all-time series 25-5 as the Mountaineers are winners of two of the last five in the series. The Bears have been ranked inside the AP top 10 in 22 of the meetings and in the top 25 in all but two matchups.
With a win, the Mountaineers will collect their third-ranked win of the season. It would mark the second straight season hitting the mark and the 8th time in program history. Head coach Mark Kellogg is looking to collect his eighth-ranked win in three seasons at WVU. In the last three years, WVU is 7-13 when facing a team inside the AP top 25.
Three of the Mountaineers' losses this season have come at the hands of teams currently ranked inside the top 20 of the AP poll. In those games, the Mountaineers were outscored by a combined eight points.
The Mountaineers are averaging 77.4 points per game this season and allowing just 59.2 points from their opponents. The marks are the 36th and 67th best in the country. Across Big 12 play, the Mountaineers are scoring 73.1 points per game, which is the third-best mark among conference foes.
West Virginia's 18.1 scoring margin is the 26th-highest win margin in the nation. Additionally, WVU is forcing its opponents into 23.7 turnovers, the 19th best nationally, and has produced 11.8 steals a game, the 26th best mark in the nation. Both marks are at the top of the conference. West Virginia has forced 21+ turnovers in 15 games and 12+ steals in 12 contests this season. WVU ranks 19th in the nation with a +6.91 turnover margin.
Junior guard Gia Cooke leads the Mountaineers in scoring this season with 14.5 points per game. She has scored double figures in 18 contests and has scored 20+ points in six games.
Wheeler has been a force scoring and on the glass in conference play with 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. She leads the Mountaineers on the glass this season with 7.1 rebounds per game and reached the 1,000 career rebound mark against Texas Tech.
Senior guard Jordan Harrison (12.6) and Sydney Shaw (11.6) are also averaging double figures this season. Shaw is leading the Mountaineers in threes this season at 39.8% and is making 2.1 per game. Harrison, who scored her 1,500-career point against Iowa State, averages 6.2 assists per game in conference play. The mark is the fourth-best in the conference. Harrison is the conference's steals leader with 32 in 10 games and is the only player averaging more than three per game at 3.2.
Tipoff against the Bears is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Sunday's contest will be broadcast live on the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM, with Andrew Caridi on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Varsity Network App.
Additionally, the game will be broadcast on ESPN with Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty on the call. Live stats and game notes are available on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (17-5, 7-3 Big 12) and Baylor (19-3, 8-1 Big 12) meet for the 31st time in program history. The Bears lead the all-time series 25-5 as the Mountaineers are winners of two of the last five in the series. The Bears have been ranked inside the AP top 10 in 22 of the meetings and in the top 25 in all but two matchups.
With a win, the Mountaineers will collect their third-ranked win of the season. It would mark the second straight season hitting the mark and the 8th time in program history. Head coach Mark Kellogg is looking to collect his eighth-ranked win in three seasons at WVU. In the last three years, WVU is 7-13 when facing a team inside the AP top 25.
Three of the Mountaineers' losses this season have come at the hands of teams currently ranked inside the top 20 of the AP poll. In those games, the Mountaineers were outscored by a combined eight points.
The Mountaineers are averaging 77.4 points per game this season and allowing just 59.2 points from their opponents. The marks are the 36th and 67th best in the country. Across Big 12 play, the Mountaineers are scoring 73.1 points per game, which is the third-best mark among conference foes.
West Virginia's 18.1 scoring margin is the 26th-highest win margin in the nation. Additionally, WVU is forcing its opponents into 23.7 turnovers, the 19th best nationally, and has produced 11.8 steals a game, the 26th best mark in the nation. Both marks are at the top of the conference. West Virginia has forced 21+ turnovers in 15 games and 12+ steals in 12 contests this season. WVU ranks 19th in the nation with a +6.91 turnover margin.
Junior guard Gia Cooke leads the Mountaineers in scoring this season with 14.5 points per game. She has scored double figures in 18 contests and has scored 20+ points in six games.
Wheeler has been a force scoring and on the glass in conference play with 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. She leads the Mountaineers on the glass this season with 7.1 rebounds per game and reached the 1,000 career rebound mark against Texas Tech.
Senior guard Jordan Harrison (12.6) and Sydney Shaw (11.6) are also averaging double figures this season. Shaw is leading the Mountaineers in threes this season at 39.8% and is making 2.1 per game. Harrison, who scored her 1,500-career point against Iowa State, averages 6.2 assists per game in conference play. The mark is the fourth-best in the conference. Harrison is the conference's steals leader with 32 in 10 games and is the only player averaging more than three per game at 3.2.
Players Mentioned
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