West Virginia Heads to Florida for Final Road Test Against UCF
February 24, 2026 01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 17 West Virginia University women's basketball team is set to travel to Florida in its final road test of the season when they take on UCF on Wednesday evening inside Addition Financial Arena.
Tipoff against the Knights is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Wednesday'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+. Live stats and game notes are available on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (22-6, 12-4 Big 12) and UCF (10-17, 2-14 Big 12) meet for the 6th time in program history. The Mountaineers are a perfect 5-0 all-time in the series, including a 3-0 mark in games on the road. Four of the matchups have come in the last two seasons as members of the Big 12 Conference. WVU dominated the first meeting this season in a 106-56 win. It marked the most points scored in a conference game in program history.
The Mountaineers are coming off a strong showing where WVU limited the Big 12's top offensive team in Oklahoma State to just 40 points. Five of the Mountaineers' losses this season have come at the hands of teams currently ranked inside the top 25 of the AP poll. In those games, the Mountaineers were outscored by a combined 22 points.
WVU is averaging 76.7 points per game this season and allowing just 58.6 points from its opponents. The marks are the 33rd and 46th best in the country. Across Big 12 play, the Mountaineers are scoring 73.5 points per game and allowing just 60.8 points, which are the second-best among conference foes.
West Virginia's 18.1 scoring margin is the 17th-highest win margin in the nation. Additionally, WVU is forcing its opponents into 23.11 turnovers, the 11th best nationally, and has produced 11.6 steals a game, the 23rd best mark in the nation. Both marks are at the top of the conference. West Virginia has forced 21+ turnovers in 18 games and 12+ steals in 15 contests this season. WVU ranks 14th in the nation with a +6.71-turnover margin.
The Mountaineers are controlling the glass in conference games this season, holding the sixth-best rebounding percentage defensively (71.9%) and the third-best offensive rate at 36.5%.
West Virginia has four players scoring double figures this season, led by Gia Cooke with 14.6 points per game. She has scored double figures in 24 contests and has scored 20+ points in seven games. Wheeler has been a force scoring and on the glass with 13.5 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds. On they year, she has recorded seven double doubles.
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 40.1% and is making 2.5 per game. Riley Makalusky has also found her rhythm from beyond the arc in conference play, shooting 55.6% with 20 makes on 36 attempts.
Harrison averages 5.6 assists per game in conference play. The mark is the fourth best in the conference. She is the conference's steals leader with 61 in 16 games and is the only player averaging more than 2.6 per game at 3.81.
Tipoff against the Knights is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Wednesday'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+. Live stats and game notes are available on WVUsports.com.
West Virginia (22-6, 12-4 Big 12) and UCF (10-17, 2-14 Big 12) meet for the 6th time in program history. The Mountaineers are a perfect 5-0 all-time in the series, including a 3-0 mark in games on the road. Four of the matchups have come in the last two seasons as members of the Big 12 Conference. WVU dominated the first meeting this season in a 106-56 win. It marked the most points scored in a conference game in program history.
The Mountaineers are coming off a strong showing where WVU limited the Big 12's top offensive team in Oklahoma State to just 40 points. Five of the Mountaineers' losses this season have come at the hands of teams currently ranked inside the top 25 of the AP poll. In those games, the Mountaineers were outscored by a combined 22 points.
WVU is averaging 76.7 points per game this season and allowing just 58.6 points from its opponents. The marks are the 33rd and 46th best in the country. Across Big 12 play, the Mountaineers are scoring 73.5 points per game and allowing just 60.8 points, which are the second-best among conference foes.
West Virginia's 18.1 scoring margin is the 17th-highest win margin in the nation. Additionally, WVU is forcing its opponents into 23.11 turnovers, the 11th best nationally, and has produced 11.6 steals a game, the 23rd best mark in the nation. Both marks are at the top of the conference. West Virginia has forced 21+ turnovers in 18 games and 12+ steals in 15 contests this season. WVU ranks 14th in the nation with a +6.71-turnover margin.
The Mountaineers are controlling the glass in conference games this season, holding the sixth-best rebounding percentage defensively (71.9%) and the third-best offensive rate at 36.5%.
West Virginia has four players scoring double figures this season, led by Gia Cooke with 14.6 points per game. She has scored double figures in 24 contests and has scored 20+ points in seven games. Wheeler has been a force scoring and on the glass with 13.5 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds. On they year, she has recorded seven double doubles.
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 40.1% and is making 2.5 per game. Riley Makalusky has also found her rhythm from beyond the arc in conference play, shooting 55.6% with 20 makes on 36 attempts.
Harrison averages 5.6 assists per game in conference play. The mark is the fourth best in the conference. She is the conference's steals leader with 61 in 16 games and is the only player averaging more than 2.6 per game at 3.81.
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/ Women's BasketballOklahoma State Recap
Sunday, February 22
Post Game Press Conference | Oklahoma State
Saturday, February 21
Riley Makalusky | Feb. 18
Wednesday, February 18
Mark Kellogg | Feb. 18
Wednesday, February 18
