MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU (24-6, 14-4 Big 12) used a massive first quarter to coast to a victory against Cincinnati on Senior Day. They won the game 118-60. The team recognized five seniors before the game: Sydney Shaw, Jordan Harrison, Célia Rivière, Sydney Woodley, and Kierra Wheeler. It may not be their last game at Hope Coliseum, however. If WVU gets a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, it will host first- and second-round games. WVU can also secure a share of the regular-season Big 12 Title if Baylor beats TCU in their final game. Read more: WVU coasts to a victory against Cincinnati on Senior Day.
First quarter
Sydney Shaw scored the game’s opening basket off an assist from Jordan Harrison, both seniors recognized on Senior Day. Gia Cooke converted two from the free throw line to give WVU a 4-0 lead. She followed it with a floater off the glass, assisted by Harrison. Caliyah Devillasee got the Bearcats on the board with a second-chance layup. Kierra Wheeler quickly responded with a layup of her own to give the Mountaineers an 8-2 lead.
Jordan Harrison made two free throws, and Cooke converted a steal into a layup to give WVU an early 12-2 lead. The Bearcats scored on a back-cut with Dee Alexander making the layup. Carter McCray made two free throws on the other end, and Shaw nailed a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 13 points.
Related: Sending off the seniors: WVU Women’s Basketball
Reagan Jackson answered with a jumper, but Harrison knocked down a three from the wing. Shaw got a steal on the Bearcats’ next possession, but missed the layup. McCray got the offensive rebound and the put-back layup. McCray made the next basket for WVU and one of two free throws on the next possession. Mya Perry made Cincinnati’s first three-pointer of the game, but Harrison responded with a quick layup.
WVU dominated the first quarter of action, recording 11 rebounds with five on offense, and zero turnovers. Cincinnati only recorded five rebounds and had eight turnovers. WVU took a 30-9 lead into the second quarter.
Second quarter
Gia Cooke made two free throws to start the scoring in the second period. Shaw made her second three-pointer of the game following an offensive rebound by WVU. Alliance Ndiba made a layup after a Cincinnati offensive rebound, and Shaw nailed another three-pointer on the other end. Kylie Torrence kissed one off the glass to make the score 39-13.
McCray made a layup to put WVU over the 40-point mark, and Cooke fouled Devillasee on the other end. She made one of two free throws. Harrison went coast-to-coast a couple of possessions later to extend the lead to 29 points. Sydney Shaw made another three-pointer out of the media timeout. Jackson made two free throws for the Bearcats, and Wheeler made a layup off an assist from Cooke.
The Bearcats made two more free throws at the three-minute mark, but they still trailed by 30 points. Alexander made a contested layup in the paint to give Cincinnati 20 points. Shaw remained red hot as she nailed a three-pointer from the corner off an assist from Harrison. Gia Cooke made a three-pointer following a McCray offensive rebound to give WVU a 56-21 lead. She made another three-pointer with 0.3 seconds on the clock and was fouled. She unfortunately missed the free throw, but WVU took a 59-21 lead into the locker room.
At the break
Sydney Shaw led all scorers with 19 points, including five three-pointers on six attempts. WVU also had four players in double-digits at the break, including Shaw. Gia Cooke had 15 points, and Jordan Harrison and Carter McCray had 10 apiece. Harrison also had seven assists, while McCray had seven rebounds. WVU shot 55.9% from the field and 53.3% from behind the arc.
Cincinnati figured out WVU’s full-court press in the second quarter, but its offense struggled. Dee Alexander and Reagan Jackson had four points apiece in the first half. The Bearcats had 11 turnovers, but only three in the second quarter. They also got doubled up on rebounds, as they only recorded 12 to WVU’s 24.
Third quarter
Harrison picked up where she left off in the first half, converting a layup following a steal. She also knocked down a three-pointer following a layup by Mya Perry for the Bearcats. McCray made a layup, and Perry made another basket for the Bearcats. Sydney Shaw stayed scorching despite the halftime break. She made a three-pointer and was fouled, but missed the free throw. WVU retained possession, however, and McCray found Wheeler inside for a layup. That gave WVU a 71-25 lead.
Harrison made another three-pointer after Perry’s sixth point of the quarter. Perry remained hot for the Bearcats, knocking down a three-pointer. She recorded the first nine points of the half for the Bearcats. Gia Cooke immediately answered it on the other end with a three-pointer of her own.
WVU hit the 80-point mark with a little over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Wheeler made one of two free throws to make it 80-30. Perry made a free throw for the Bearcats, and Wheeler made a layup on the following possession. Perry made a jumpshot on the following possession, to give her 12 points in the quarter. Woodley made two free throws for her first points of the game, and Cooke scored after a steal 15 seconds later.
Caliyah Devillasee made two free throws, breaking Perry’s streak of 12 consecutive points for the Bearcats. Wheeler made one free throw and a layup on a fast break to make it 93-35. Delaney Snyder made a layup, which was the final score of the quarter. WVU led 93-37 heading into the final quarter.
Fourth quarter
Wheeler found Rivière in the lane for her first points of the game. Snyder made a basket on the other end, and Shaw made a reverse layup for 24 points in the game. Harrison made a driving layup, which gave her 20 in the game. She and Shaw were subbed out for the rest of the game, as they got a much-needed rest in the fourth quarter.
Riley Makalusky made a three-pointer to give the team 102 points in the game. She made two more, for three consecutive three-pointers as the bench got in on the action in the final quarter. Madison Parrish made two layups for WVU, as the freshman got into the box score. Jordan Thomas made a layup off an assist from Parrish to give WVU 10 players in the scoring column.
Top performers
- S. Shaw (WVU): 24 points/3 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals/ 6-9 from 3
- J. Harrison (WVU): 20 points/10 assists/3 rebounds/4 steals
- K. Wheeler (WVU): 21 points/10 rebounds/2 assists
- M. Perry (CIN): 19 points/2 rebounds
What’s next?
WVU returns to action on Friday, March 6, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, as they earned a double-bye.
All Mountaineer basketball games are broadcast across the John Fredericks Media Network. The game will air on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations.
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