The UVU women’s basketball team has found itself at the midway point of the season. After battling through a grueling non-conference schedule, the Wolverines are two games into the WAC conference slate and find themselves atop the standings. With a 2-0 record against conference foes, UVU sits in a good position coming down the homestretch.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
UVU began the season playing 13 of its first 15 games in the state of Utah, with a mixture of home games and contests against in-state opponents. Winning four of its first five games, UVU ran into a dry spell losing five straight games from late-November to early-December. However as the Christmas spirit began to warm up, so did the Wolverines. Since December 18, the Wolverines have won four of five and sit atop the WAC standings.
The Wolverines have found consistency in their field-goal percentages thus far. On the season, the Wolverines are shooting 44 percent from the field to go along with 33 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 78 percent on free throws. This shooting, combined with stout defensive performances, has propelled UVU to an 8-7 overall record.
Leading the charge has been junior forward Jordan Holland from New Mexico. Holland leads the team in scoring at a 13.1 point per game clip, to go along with 5.7 rebounds per game. Holland has stuffed the stat sheet night-in and night-out, as she is also among the team leaders in assists.
Assisting Holland in the scoring has been freshman standout forward from Australia, Eve Braslis. She is averaging 10.7 points per game to go along with her team-leading 6.7 rebounds. Braslis and Holland are just two of the many dynamic scorers and lethal shooters that head coach Cathy Nixon has at her disposal. Look for those two to continue pacing the Wolverines through the second half of the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
UVU will continue its schedule with mid-January games against Seattle University, UT Rio Grande Valley, and New Mexico St. The Wolverines will need to sharpen up their play on the road, as the majority of the remaining schedule will be played away from Lockhart Arena. UVU is 8-2 so far at home, but comparatively they are 0-5 on the road. They will need to find a way to win on the road if they want to have a legitimate shot at bringing back the WAC title to Orem. Head coach Cathy Nixon will have her work cut out for her to ensure that her team stays on top of the conference and claim their first-ever WAC championship.
Photo courtesy of: UVU Athletics
