OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's basketball closes out the first week of Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. MT against Abilene Christian. This will be the Wildcats' only visit to Orem this season, with the next meetings scheduled to be played in Abilene.
 
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday's matchup, along with all remaining Utah Valley home games, will air on ESPN+. Ethan Jordan will have the call with Josh Kallunki on Saturday. Live stats will be available on GoUVU.com/stats.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley earned its fifth WAC home opener victory under head coach Dan Nielson on Thursday with a 74-49 win over Tarleton State. Amanda Barcello scored 15 points as 12 different Wolverines found the scoring column. Tessa Chaney added 12 points and six rebounds, while a strong defensive effort led to 29 forced turnovers and 28 points off turnovers.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Abilene Christian enters the weekend 10-4 overall and 1-0 in WAC play after defeating Utah Tech 81-51 in its conference opener on Thursday. The Wildcats are led by preseason WAC Player of the Year Payton Hull, who is averaging 17.6 points per game, and preseason All-WAC selection Meredith Mayes, who is scoring 15.0 points per contest. ACU has won four straight games entering the UCCU Center.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST ACU
Utah Valley trails the all-time series 6-2 but earned both victories against the Wildcats last season. The Wolverines first claimed a double-overtime road win in Abilene, as Danja Stafford-Collins hit a game-winner with 1.2 seconds remaining for a 65-64 victory. UVU's second win came in Las Vegas, where the Wolverines defeated ACU 75-65 to advance to the WAC semifinals. Amanda Barcello scored 24 points in the win, including six made 3-pointers.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will play its next three games away from the UCCU Center, beginning with a trip to Cedar City on Thursday, Jan. 8, to face Southern Utah before renewing the Old Hammer Rivalry at Utah Tech on Saturday, Jan. 10.