LISBON, Portugal – Utah Valley women's basketball incoming freshman Maria Carvalho helped guide AD Vagos to a runner-up finish at the the Portuguese Basketball Federation U19 National Championships.
 
A point guard from Lisbon, Portugal, Carvalho ended the four-team final round ranked top-5 among all players with averages of 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and a team-high three assists per game. In addition, Carvalho recorded a tournament-best tying 2.7 steals per contest en route to placing fourth in the MVP race at Portugal's U19 national tournament.
 
In the Vagos' opening game victory against CBQ at the three-game round robin, Carvalho recorded her highest point total with 19 points on the heels of a 3-of-4 shooting performance from three-point range. She also racked up four steals and went a perfect 4-of-4 at the free-throw line in that contest.
 
Carvalho capped her outstanding weekend with a near double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a defeat to eventual champion Quinta dos Lombos. It marked her second game with double-digit rebounds, as the point guard also pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with nine points in a win against Olivais Coimbra prior to squaring off against the tournament champion.

The 5-8 guard, Carvalho forms part of the Wolverines' five-member incoming class that ranked 165th on ASGRbasketball.com – the highest rating received by a recruiting class in program history. Along with that rating, UVU's freshmen group joining the squad for the 2018-19 season landed at second among all WAC schools on that list for the second straight season.
 
Carvalho will also join UVU's point guard trio that includes Kamaile Kandiah and Sophia Jacobsson this upcoming season.