UMKC Opens WAC Tournament As No. 5 Seed Against Utah Valley
3/8/2016 9:44:00 AM | Women's Basketball
No. 5 UMKC Kangaroos (10-17, 5-9) vs. No. 4 Utah Valley Wolverines (15-14, 8-6)
ON THE AIR AND ON THE WEB
Date-Time: March 9, 2016 - 4 p.m. CT
Site: Las Vegas, Nev./Orleans Arena
TV: --
Online Audio: UMKCKangaroos.com
Talent: TJ Jackson
Webcast: WAC Digital Network
Talent: Mychal Clanton (p-b-p), Steven Hunter (color)
Live Stats: WACSports.com
Twitter: @UMKCWBB @TheUMKCRoos
Hashtags: #RooUp #WACHoops #WACVegas
Series: UVU leads 4-2
Home: 2-1
Away: 0-3
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: UVU won 58-44 on 2/20/16 in Kansas City.
The Game
UMKC women's basketball opens up the 2016 WAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed against No. 4 seed Utah Valley on Mar. 9. Tip between the 'Roos and the Wolverines is slated for 4 p.m. CT at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The Opponent
Utah Valley (15-14, 8-6)
PPG: 66.8
PPG Allowed: 62.6
Leading Scorer: Mariah Seals - 11.6
Leading Rebounder: Rebecca MaWhinney - 6.1
Assists Leader: Georgia Agnew - 4.0
The Series
Utah Valley (2-4)
J23, 2014* (H) W, 83-66 Frese
F22, 2014* (A) L, 43-49 Frese
J31, 2015* (H) W, 61-58 Frese
F26, 2015* (A) L, 51-61 (ot) Frese
J21, 2016* (A) L, 71-79 Frese
F13, 2016* (H) L, 44-58 Frese
Last Time Out
Samantha Waldron scored 18 points, knocking down 4-of-6 from three-point range, with three assists, two rebounds and career-high's of five steals and two blocks in UMKC women's basketball's 67-50 win over WAC foe Chicago State in the regular season finale at the Swinney Recreation Center.
Kelsey Barrett matched Waldron's numbers from long range off the bench, giving her a career-high 12 points, while Kiana Law narrowly missed her third double-double of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds. Paige Husa finished with a career-high nine rebounds and six points and Taylor Leathers added six points and nine rebounds in her final home game as a 'Roo.
First Meeting
Four 'Roos reached double figures scoring, including three who scored 16, as UMKC women's basketball fell 79-71 to Utah Valley on Thursday night at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. Aries Washington led the UMKC attack with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Kiana Law and Taylor Leathers also notched 16 points. Law tallied hers on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the line with seven rebounds and Leathers finished with seven baskets, including two threes, and seven rebounds. Samantha Waldron was the fourth Kangaroo to reach double figures, scoring 11 points, including hitting 3-of-6 from deep, and Kelsey Barrett matcher her career-high with eight points, knocking down 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Second Meeting
Paige Husa notched career-high's of 11 points and three blocks to go with a team-high six rebounds in UMKC women's basketball's 58-44 loss to Utah Valley on Saturday afternoon at the Swinney Recreation Center on Senior Day. Kristen Moore added nine points, five rebounds and two assists, while Kiana Law added eight points and three rebounds. As a team, UMKC outscored the Wolverines 19 to five off the bench.
The Coaches
Nationally known for her top-notch recruiting classes, Marsha Frese enters her fourth season as head women's basketball coach at UMKC. During her first three seasons in Kansas City, Frese began to establish her vision for a championship culture while guiding the 'Roos toward excellence, both on the court and in the classroom. Under Frese's guidance, the 'Roos have established a standard of excellence for classroom performance as UMKC earned top honors in back-to-back years with the highest team GPA in all of Division-I women's college basketball for both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
Cathy Nixon enters her 21st season with the Utah Valley women's basketball program in 2015-16, over the last 20 years, Nixon's teams have consistently displayed hard work and character, on and off the court. Last season, the Wolverines finished 11-19 overall in their second season as members of the WAC. The Wolverine finished sixth overall in WAC standings behind a 5-9 conference record, and were edged out by Seattle U in the first round of the WAC Tournament. Rhaiah Spooner-Knight was named second team All-WAC, while Mariah Seals was named WAC Freshman of the Year.
Up Next...
With a win, the Blue & Gold will take on top-seeded New Mexico State on Fri., Mar. 11 at 2 p.m. CT in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
A Win Would...
• Give the 'Roos their eighth ever tournament win, first WAC Tournament win and first overall tournament win since 2012.
• Be the 20th against a team from Utah (UVU - 2, SUU - 16, BYU - 1)
• Snap a three game losing streak to the Wolverines.
• Give the 'Roos 11 for the season, tying for the most in the Frese era.
