WVU Women Continue Slow Climb Up AP Top 25 Poll

The WVU women’s basketball team continues to climb in the AP Top 25 rankings, moving up one spot to No. 12 this week.

The Mountaineers (6-0) sat at No. 13 last week and dominated a pair of lower-conference opponents inside the WVU Coliseum. On Tuesday, WVU defeated Bowling Green 78-47 and on Friday defeated Lafayette 98-28.

On the move for the third straight week 📈

📰 https://t.co/8I7gzl8jbZ#HailWV pic.twitter.com/9jO320Y3xx

— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) November 25, 2024

Despite winning both games comfortably, WVU experienced some drama this week in the game against Bowl Greene.

Junior guard Sydney Shaw was ejected in the third quarter for throwing a punch. Shaw received a technical foul for her third-period punch, which followed a foul from Bowling Green’s Taya Ellis.

“Probably a little disappointed for a lot of reasons. I think there’s a standard that we expect to behave and act, and then play as well. And I don’t think we met either of those tonight,” WVU coach Mark Kellogg said after the game.

Shaw did not play against Lafayette.

“That’s not us. We can’t do that,” Kellogg said. “We can’t react that way. She can’t do that. She has to be better than that. That’s not what we’re about. That’s really disappointing.”

No. 12 is the highest WVU has been ranked since reaching the same mark in 2018. WVU is one of four Big 12 teams in the Top 25 this week, joined by No. 9 Kansas State, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 17 TCU.

The Mountaineers have this week off before traveling south to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase, beginning on Friday. In the Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla., the Mountaineers will take on High Point at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

On Saturday, WVU will play either Boise State or Illinois State at 11 a.m. or 5 p.m. On Sunday, West Virginia could play any of Butler, New Mexico State, Santa Clara or Texas at either 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.