Utah Valley Draws Stanford in First Round of NCAA Tournament
SAN ANTONIO – Utah Valley is set to take on top-seeded Stanford as they represent the WAC in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Wolverines (13-6, 10-4) earned the WAC's automatic qualification by way of finishing second in the WAC regular-season standings as regular season and tournament champion California Baptist is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to transitioning status. Utah Valley is led by sophomore standouts Josie Williams and Maria Carvalho. Williams averages 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game to lead the Wolverines in each category Carvalho is UVU's floor general as she averages 3.2 assists per game to go along with 13.3 points and 1.7 steals per game.
Stanford earned one of four No. 1 seeds as they finished the year with a 25-2 overall record and a 19-2 record in Pac-12 play. The Cardinal are led by senior guard Kiana Williams who averages 14.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. Sophomore guard Haley Jones posts 13.0 points per game to rank second on the team in scoring while also leading the Cardinal in rebounding, collecting 7.7 boards per contest.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament will take place across five Texas venues located in San Antonio, Austin and San Marcos. Utah Valley is scheduled to square off with Stanford on Sunday, March 21 at 8 p.m. MT at a site to be determined.