Utah Valley Women’s Basketball Makes NCAA Tournament Debut In Loss To Stanford
Mar 21, 2021, 9:51 PM
Maria Carvalho #3 of the Utah Valley Wolverines drives past Lexie Hull #12 and Anna Wilson #3 of the Stanford Cardinal in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 21, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Valley women’s basketball made history on Sunday by playing in their first ever NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 Stanford.
Utah Valley was the 16 seed in the tournament but lost to Stanford 87-44 in the first round of the big dance.
Josie Williams led the Wolverines with 18 points and 5 rebounds on 5-of-9 field goal shooting and 7-for-10 at the free throw line. She was the only Utah Valley player to score in double figures.
Kiana Williams scored 20 points to lead the Cardinal, including 17 points in the first half. Lacie Hull added 12, while Cameron Brink scored 10 points.
Working until the final buzzer! https://t.co/h2sfMpdzZD#GoUVU #UVU #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/Y8PbV5ydst
— UVU Women's Basketball (@UVUwbb) March 22, 2021
It was a tough start to the game for the Wolverines as Stanford knocked down seven three-pointers in 11 attempts and took a 29-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter wasn’t much better as Utah Valley scored 11 points but the Cardinal had 24 points and took a 53-20 lead to the halftime break.
UVU was led by Josie Williams with 7 points. Nehaa Sohail added 5 points. They shot 23 percent (6-26) from the field, 60 percent (3-5) from the three-point line and made one of their two free throw attempts.
Kiana Williams had 17 points in the first half to lead Stanford. She knocked down five three-pointers and is now the all-time career leader in triples made in Cardinal women’s basketball history. Cameron Brink and Lacie Hull each added 8 points. The Cardinal shot 57 percent (20-35) from the floor, 57 percent (12-21) from beyond the arc and attempted and made just one free throw.
The third quarter was much better for Utah Valley as they were only outscored 18-12 but the lead was already insurmountable as they trailed 71-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
Utah Valley had their successful season come to an end with a 13-7 overall record and was 10-4 in WAC play.
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