DENVER – The bracket for the 2020 WAC Women's Basketball Tournament is set and for the first time in school history, Kansas City will be the top seed at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Chicago State will be the eighth seed and will take on Kansas City in the tournament opener on Wednesday at noon. The Cougars are led by 14.9 points per game from
Tyeshia Bowers (Flint, Mich./Southwestern) and 9.4 rebounds per game from
Ines Mata Boix (Madrid, Spain/).
The Roos earned the regular season title and the top seed after finishing with a 13-3 record in conference play. Kansas City is led by seniors Ericka Mattingly and Cristina Soriano, who enter the tournament averaging 15.8 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.
Utah Valley will be the third seed after finishing with a 9-6 record in league play. However due to a cancellation of the Wolverines final game against Chicago State, Utah Valley recorded an extra win for seeding purposes, placing them in the second slot. The Wolverines are led by senior Jordan Holland who averages 12.7 points per game under first year head coach Dan Nielson.
Grand Canyon will be the second seed after going 10-6 in WAC play. Da'jah Daniel and Jada Holland lead the Lopes into the tournament, averaging 11.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.
The fourth seed will be UT Rio Grande Valley. Heading to Las Vegas as one of three teams with a conference record of 8-8, the Vaqueros are led by junior Trelynn Tyler, who finished the regular season with a scoring average of 13.2 points per game.
The Vaqueros first-round opponent will be defending champion NM State. The Aggies enter the tournament with an 8-8 record and are led by senior Gia Pack, averaging a team-best 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds. Pack will return to the court in the tournament after missing the last eight games of the season due to injury. NM State and UTRGV will tip off at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.
CSU Bakersfield earns the sixth-seed after going 8-8 in WAC play. The 'Runners are led in scoring by Jayden Eggleston with 11.9 points per game. CSUB will see Grand Canyon in the first round of the tournament, with their game set to tip at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Seattle U will head to Vegas as the seven seed for the second year in a row. The Redhawks, who are led by 17.6 points per game from Kamira Sanders, will take on Utah Valley in the first round on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 11 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. All games will be on ESPN+ and will be available for international viewers on the WAC Digital Network.
2019 WAC Women's Basketball Tournament Schedule
Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada
Wednesday, March 11
Game One: No. 1 Kansas City vs. No. 8 Chicago State, noon (ESPN+)
Game Two: No. 4 NM State vs. No. 5 UT Rio Grande Valley, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game Three: No. 2 Utah Valley vs. No. 7 Seattle U, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game Four: No. 3 Grand Canyon vs. No. 6 CSU Bakersfield, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Friday, March 13
Game Five: Game One Winner vs. Game Two Winner, noon (ESPN+)
Game Six: Game Three Winner vs. Game Four Winner, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, March 14
Championship: Game Five Winner vs. Game Six Winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN3/ESPN+)
