Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Riley Makalusky needed just 20 minutes to make her mark.
The junior forward poured in 20 points off the bench as No. 19 West Virginia rolled past UCF 106–56 on Wednesday night inside Hope Coliseum, extending its winning streak to four games.
Makalusky finished 7-of-10 from the floor, knocked down three 3-pointers and went a perfect 3-for-3 at the free-throw line, recording her highest scoring game since her freshman season at Butler.
Kierra Wheeler added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Sydney Woodley sparked the Mountaineers off the bench with 16 points. Jordan Harrison and Gia Cooke chipped in 12 points apiece, and Sydney Shaw rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and nine rebounds.
WVU (21–5, 11–3 Big 12) overwhelmed the Knights by forcing 23 turnovers and converting them into 41 points, while committing just seven turnovers of its own. The Mountaineers also dominated inside, outscoring UCF 66–32 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 42–26.
WVU jumped out early, building a 24–8 lead after the first quarter and stretching the advantage to 45–22 by halftime. Makalusky scored 12 of her points in the first half, including back-to-back 3-pointers that pushed the lead to 25.
The Mountaineers put the game away in the third quarter, shooting 68 percent and scoring 31 points to take a 76–38 lead into the fourth. WVU added 30 more points in the final period and led by as many as 53.
Harrison finished with eight assists and four steals, while Cooke dished out a career-high six assists. The Mountaineers had 11 players score and totaled 52 bench points in its most lopsided conference win of the season.
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts led the Knights (10–14, 2–11) with 12 points as UCF dropped its sixth straight game.
WVU heads back on the road Sunday to face No. 17 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
