WAC teams converge in Vegas looking to earn automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament

New Mexico State looking to defend its title, UVU comes in at No. 4 seed

At the end of an up-and-down season that saw lengthy streaks of both winning and losing for the UVU women, the Wolverines managed to secure the No. 4 seed in this week’s Western Athletic Conference tournament and are hoping to avoid another first round exit. UVU finished with a conference record of 8-6 and closed the season winning five of their last seven games.

The prohibitive favorite for the WAC title is the defending champion New Mexico State Aggies, who will get a first round bye as the No. 1 seed. The Aggies enter the tournament at 13-1 in conference play losing their last game of the season to UTRGV. Senior guard Sasha Weber leads the Aggies this season scoring 12.2 points per game, including shooting 41.3 percent on 3-point shots. Last season’s WAC tournament MVP, junior forward Brianna Freeman is averaging 10.3 points and six rebounds per game this season.

For the Wolverines, the key will be to remain balanced. During their win streak to end the season, UVU had at least three players in double digit scoring night in and night out. Sophomore guard Mariah Seals led the Wolverines in scoring with 11.5 points per game. Seals also adds 3.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Sharpshooter junior forward Rebecca MaWhinney enters the tournament shooting 41.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line on the season.

“My perspective is it’s just about us doing what we do,” said UVU Head Coach Cathy Nixon. “If we do that, there’s not anybody in our league that we can’t beat.”

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley started conference play strong at 5-0 before stumbling a bit during a three-game losing streak. They alternated wins and losses until they ended the season with a win over New Mexico State to secure the No. 2 seed. Junior guard Shawnte’ Goff leads the Vaqueros this season with 15.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

CSU Bakersfield comes in at the No. 3 seed via the tiebreaker with a conference record of 8-6 and riding a three-game win streak. Three-time WAC player of the week, senior forward Batabe Zempare, leads the Roadrunners this season, nearly averaging a double-double with 11.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Though they’re only the No. 5 seed for the conference tournament with a conference record of 5-9, the University of Missouri – Kansas City was the closest team to dealing New Mexico State a regular season conference defeat in a 78-72 overtime loss on February 27, proving the Kangaroos can play with anyone in the conference. Sophomore guard Aries Washington leads the team with 11.5 points and six rebounds per contest.

Despite pushing New Mexico State to overtime during last season’s WAC tournament, Seattle University slumped this season, finishing just 3-11 in conference play and ending the season on a nine-game losing streak. Senior center Taelor Ross leads the Redhawks with 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Chicago State rounds out the field with the No. 7 seed. They have a conference record of just 2-12 and come in on a six-game losing streak. Senior forward Layne Murphy, averaging 12.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest, and freshman guard Kaylee Allen, with 12.9 points per game, will try to hold down the fort for the Cougars.

Grand Canyon University finished the season with a 8-6-conference record and third place in the WAC standings. However, the Antelopes are ineligible for postseason play until the 2017-18 season due to their move to NCAA Division I.

The winner of the WAC tournament will get an automatic bid for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament held March 25.