WVU’s Riley Makalusky (21) and Houston’s Kierra Merchant battle for a loose ball during Sunday’s college basketball game in Morgantown. (Photo by David Pennock)

MORGANTOWN — Six players scored in double figures for the West Virginia women’s basketball team as the Mountaineers kicked off their 2025 conference schedule by scoring 100-plus points for the first time in Big 12 play against Houston inside the Hope Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

WVU (11-2) dominated the Cougars wire-to-wire for a 101-46 victory to begin the Big 12 slate 1-0.

Sydney Shaw led the Mountaineers with a game-high 22 points with five three-pointers. Five other players joined Shaw in double figures, and Riley Makalusky matched her teammate with five triples of her own.

WVU shot 51% from the field on 36 made baskets, including a third quarter that saw 13 of 16 shots made for 39 points in the frame alone. Had the Mountaineers only shown up for the second half against Houston, they’d have still won the game by 13 points.

“Proud of our group for this one, I thought we had a great week coming into the game,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “They (Houston) came out in some pressure against us, but we know how to play against that when we play the right way and share the basketball, which we did. Then that third quarter was awesome. That was us at our best and fun to watch.”

Seven Mountaineers scored in the third quarter alone, with Shaw and Kierra Wheeler each scoring ten, while earning eight steals defensively. WVU forced the Cougars into 36 turnovers in the contest, with every single player tallying at least one takeaway on the afternoon.

The second basket of the third came as Shaw stole the ball, then pulled up from behind the arc for a three in rhythm that found the bottom of the net.

“When I’m shooting and not thinking about it too much, I feel like every shot has a chance to go in,” Shaw said. “That’s what I felt tonight. This is a fun game to play when you’re doing things well.”

Since dropping a home contest to Villanova 81-59 on December 1, WVU has won five straight games without allowing an opponent within 18 points of the lead.

“When those types of things are happening, you know you’re in a pretty good place on both ends,” Kellogg said. “It’s been a good semester for us, and I think we’re continuing to get better every week.”

The Mountaineers will head west for their next two games on New Year’s Day against Kansas, and a battle with Kansas State on January 4.

Following that will be a home game against Texas Tech on January 7, before a pair of tough matchups: No. 10 Iowa State on the road and No. 9 TCU in Morgantown.