Photo by Ron Rittenhouse/The Dominion Post WVU guard Sydney Shaw drives in a for a lay-up on Sunday against Cincinnati. Shaw had a career-high 24 points in the Mountaineers’ 118-60 victory.

MORGANTOWN — Some of the particulars that came with the WVU women’s basketball team’s 118-60 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday were historic, or at the very least, career afternoons.

They will all be mentioned, but truly the real story that centered around the 17th-ranked Mountaineers were in the moments following the game, as WVU players took their victory lap around the Hope Coliseum floor.

WVU players were treated as conquering heroes from a crowd of 6,095 that witnessed the final game of the regular season. Players like Jordan Harrison and Sydney Shaw — they had just combined for 44 points and nine 3-pointers — couldn’t take three steps without being asked to pause and pose for yet another selfie.

“When I knew I was taking a while just to get past our bench, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be out here for a minute,” said Harrison, who celebrated her Senior Day by recording her second double-double in a WVU uniform with 20 points and 10 assists.

Hundreds of phone cameras were pointed at the players as they circled around the arena, as if they were Hollywood celebrities getting set to walk the red carpet. Little boys and girls tugged on backup guard Riley Makalusky’s jersey to ask for her autograph. Shaw actually went up into the stands a few times to pose for pictures.

All of it deserved, as the Mountaineers (24-6, 14-4 Big 12) capped off an impressive regular season with their most dominating win. More to the point, that’s now three regular seasons in the books under head coach Mark Kellogg that’s produced a total of 70 wins before postseason play.

All three of those regular seasons ended with WVU ranked somewhere in the AP Top 25, and the fans’ reaction to the players on this day was seemingly making the statement that women’s basketball was, finally, a main attraction in Morgantown.

“That’s what you envision. That’s what you want,” Kellogg said afterwards. “I still think we can even grow it. It’s exciting. I don’t want to stop here. I want the crowds to get bigger as we continue to move forward. It’s a great product. We play the right way.

“I think we’ve rallied around the state and they’ve done the same for us. It’s a part of recruiting, too. We tell kids, if you want to come play here, you’re going to have a bunch of little kids dress up like you at Halloween and they’re going to want your autographs on everything from posters to shoes to shirts to someone’s forehead. I think it’s why the energy in this building is just fantastic, because there is back and forth between our program and the fans who support us.”

As for the game, the Mountaineers secured the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo. TCU wrapped up the Big 12 title and the No. 1 seed following its 65-53 victory on Sunday.

WVU was in command from the beginning, as Shaw – also part of WVU’s senior class who walked out with her family prior to the game – pumped in five 3-pointers in the first half and added one more in the third quarter for a career high. She set another career high with her 24 points.

“Jordan Harrison is so unselfish. She can score whenever she wants to,” Cincinnati head coach Katrina Merriweather said. “I saw her and Shaw give each other a look in the first half, and I thought, ‘Oh boy,’ ”

The meaning of the look?

“As far as our connection, Jordan does a good job of always finding me,” Shaw explained. “She always knows where I am. I think that look was like, ‘Yeah, we’re locked in right now.’ ”

WVU’s 118 points was the most the Mountaineers have scored against any conference opponent, Big 12, Big East or Atlantic 10. It’s the second-most points scored by the Mountaineers in any game, with the school record of 131 being set in 1982 against Division II school Indiana (Pa.).

“Obviously proud of that one,” Kellogg said. “It’s fun when you see the ball go in at that rate.”

Kierra Wheeler also added a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Gia Cooke gave WVU four players with at least 20 points by adding 20 herself. Carter McCray added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Mountaineers, who connected on a season-high 15 3-pointers. That was the third-highest total in one game in program history.

What’s next for the Mountaineers? They will wait until 6:30 p.m. Friday to play in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. Most likely, that opponent will be seventh-seeded Iowa State, who WVU beat 83-70 earlier in the season, but the Cyclones must win a second-round game to make that official.

The Mountaineers will have much to play for in Kansas City other than a Big 12 tournament trophy. There is the possibility that WVU could return to Hope Coliseum to host a regional in the NCAA tournament, if the Mountaineers continue to advance and play well.

WVU is currently projected as a No. 5 seed for the NCAA tournament. If it can move up to a No. 4, it would host a regional.

“They had another reveal today, and I think four Big Ten teams took all four of the No. 4 seeds,” Kellogg said. “I’m trying to figure out why it works the way it does. I think we’re close. I’m sure we need to win at least a couple of games in the (Big 12) tournament. If we win it, I would hope (WVU would host).”