WVU women's basketball finished their opening week of the regular season without a loss on Friday night as they ran away to an 88-47 victory over Kent State. But in a run-of-the-mill win in the type of game fans have come to expect to go smoothly for the Mountaineers, what stood out was the performance from senior guard Sydney Shaw.
Shaw, who joined the program as a transfer last season and averaged 11.4 points per game as junior, exploded for a career-high scoring effort in the win against the Golden Flashes, leading the team 23 points in the victory – the effort was propelled by knocking down five three-pointers on six attempts. She also went 7-of-10 shooting overall and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, and added six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the win.
"I love it. It though she even turned down a couple I would have taken, if I was her," head coach Mark Kellogg told Mountaineer Sports Network after the win. "She worked hard this week, so I actually thought a good game might be coming."
Her scoring total surpasses her previous best of 22 points last February against Kansas. As the team looks for a replacement for the scoring gap left by J.J. Quinerly, the 2024-2025 leading scorer who has since graduated and left for the WNBA, Shaw could fit into that role perfectly if she continues to score at this clip.
The Mountaineers will be back in action this coming Tuesday at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown as they host Temple.