OPENING TIP
Utah Valley University's run in the 2025 Postseason WNIT continues on Monday at Washington State. Tip is set for 6 p.m. PT from Beasley Coliseum. The game will air on ESPN+ with fans also able to listen to the game via the Varsity Network app. The winner of Monday's game will play the winner of North Dakota State and New Mexico State. 

The Wolverines (19-12) have won six of their last eight games after picking up a road win at Air Force on Friday in the opening round of the WNIT. That win made program history as the first postseason win in its NCAA Division I era. The only other postseason appearance for UVU came at the 2021 NCAA Tournament where they lost to eventual national champion Stanford. Friday's win at Air Force also extended the single-season win record for Utah Valley, now at 19, and tied a record for road wins in a season with seven. 

In the win at Air Force, Tahlia White scored 15 points, Halle Nelson had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Danja Stafford Collins finished with nine points and 11 rebounds as UVU held a 44-24 edge on the glass. The Wolverines trailed 23-12 after the first quarter before putting up 29 points in the second to take a 41-34 lead at the break. Utah Valley used a 30-6 run that spanned parts of the middle quarters, outscoring the Falcons 47-20 in the second and third combined. 

White leads Utah Valley with an average of 12.5 points per game while Stafford Collins' 9.0 rebounds per game leads the WAC.

THE WAC IN THE POSTSEASON WNIT
The Western Athletic Conference is well represented in the 2025 Postseason WNIT, with three other programs joining Utah Valley in the tournament. Tarleton State earned the WAC's autobid to the WNIT and received a first-round bye. The Texans played Lindenwood in their opener on Sunday. Abilene Christian and UT Arlington also won their opening games with ACU advancing to play at Central Arkansas and UTA at North Texas, with both games on Monday.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Washington State is 20-13 on the season and advanced to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament before falling to Portland. The Cougars had five players earn WCC postseason honors, with Tara Wallack earning first-team honors. Wallak is averaging 13.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. WSU is one of the top shot-blocking teams in the country, ranking third in nation with 6.1 blocks per game. UVU and Washington State have met only once before, during the 2003-04 season, the Wolverines' first year of its transition from NJCAA to NCAA Division I. 

WHERE UVU RANKS
Entering play on Sunday, Utah Valley ranks first in the WAC and fifth in the nation in steals per game (13.1), and is eighth in the country in turnovers forced per game (22.65). The Wolverines also get to the free-throw line an average of 21.77 times per game, which ranks 12th in the country.

NELSON THRIVING AS STARTER
Halle Nelson has thrived as a starter, averaging 10.4 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game while starting the last 14 games for the Wolverines. She's shot just shy of 50% from the field and 59 of her 122 rebounds during the stretch coming on the offensive glass, and has helped the team to an 8-6 record over the 14 games,

SHARPSHOOTING BARCELLO 
Amanda Barcello is having one of the best seasons in program history from the 3-point line. After going 7-for-12 in two WAC Tournament games, and 2-for-2 in the WNIT at Air Force, Barcello is 55-117, making 47%, which is the highest percentage of the NCAA Division I era for UVU. That percentage would rank second in the country if she had enough makes to qualify, but she's below the NCAA's minimum of 2.0 made per game to be on the leaderboard.