WVU Women’s Basketball Shakes Off Rust in Home Opener Win

WVU Women’s Basketball hosted Purdue Fort Wayne in their 2025-26 season opener on Monday, Nov. 3, taking care of business in a 83-47 win.

Beginning a new era of Mountaineers basketball without JJ Quinerly, who departed for the WNBA last season, West Virginia showed many of the same qualities, forcing 31 turnovers — they outshot the Mastodons 68-52 even with a massive advantage in foul calls— and allowing a miserly 36.5 shooting percentage.

The Mountaineers’ offense applied unrelenting pressure, drawing 28 fouls that turned into 23 points. 10 of the 11 Mountaineers who appeared scored at least one basket: Jordan Harrison led the field with 15 points, including seven off free throws; newcomer Kierra Wheeler, a transfer from Norfolk State, added 14, while Jordan Thomas and Sydney Shaw finished with 12 and 11 respectively.

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After allowing the opening basket, the Mountaineers took control of the game with a 9-0 run, pushing the lead to double digits late in the opening period. The Mastodons briefly cut the lead to 29-20 with a pair of three-pointers, the second coming after an offensive foul gave them the ball: West Virginia’s offense made plenty of mistakes as well, committing 17 turnovers and making just 39.7 percent of shots from the field as they shook away offseason rust.

The Mountaineers bookended halftime with an 11-2 run that put the game out of reach, the Mastodons’ chances of a comeback dwindling as three of their players fell into foul trouble.

Up next, WVU Women’s Basketball will host Kent State, with the opening tip-off set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7.