SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (18-14) enters postseason play when it hosts Utah Valley (16-14) in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 19, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 33 DETAILS:
Opponent: Utah Valley (16-14)
Date: Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
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DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco enters Thursday's contest with an 18-14 overall record while finishing seventh in the West Coast Conference with a 9-9 mark. The Dons' 18 wins are the most in a season since recording a 19-13 overall record in the 2022-23 campaign. The program also posted two victories in the 2026 WCC Championship in Las Vegas, Nev., defeating San Diego and Pepperdine in the second and third rounds to reach the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. The green and gold's two wins in the conference tournament are the most by the team since winning the title in 2016.
• The program is coming off an 87-69 loss in the quarterfinal round to Santa Clara at the Orleans Arena on Sunday, Mar. 8. Candy Edokpaigbe paced the Dons with 20 points, her 13th 20+ point performance of the season. Mara Neira also scored in double figures with 17 points while knocking down a team-high two three-pointers.
• Edokpaigbe, who averaged 18.3 points per game during the WCC Championship, leads the team at 17.8 points per game through 32 contests, including scoring in double figures 29 times. She impressed in the back half of the regular season, scoring 20 or more points in four of the last seven games, including notching a career-high 28 points twice against Saint Mary's and Pepperdine.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES:

• Utah Valley enters Thursday's contest on the Hilltop with a 16-14 record and finished fourth out of seven teams in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) at 9-9. The Wolverines dropped their quarterfinal game in the Air Force Reserve WAC Tournament, falling to Tarleton State 60-57 on Thursday, Mar. 12 at Orleans Arena. Kaylee Headrick was one of three players to finish in double figures with 17 points and added seven rebounds. Amanda Barcello totaled 15 points, while Cambree Blackham scored 10 points and dished out seven assists.
• Amanda Barcello, a redshirt senior guard, leads Utah Valley in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting and 41.1 percent from the three-point line. Barcello most recently played her freshman season at BYU during the 202-23 season and played two games against San Francisco, averaging 12.5 minutes per game. She scored three points in 10 minutes in the Cougars' 78-59 victory over the Dons in Provo on January 19, 2023.
• As a team, Utah Valley ranks first in the WAC and third in the nation in steals per game, averaging 15.4, only trailing UConn (15.6) and Cal State Fullerton (15.5). Cambree Blackham leads the team with 82 steals, one of 46 players in the nation with at least 80 steals this season. Halle Nelson, Amanda Barcello, and Saige Gibb have contributed this season with 67, 66, and 63 steals, respectively.
• Along with forcing turnovers, Utah Valley ranks eighth in the country in turnover margin at 7.67. Through 30 games, the Wolverines have forced 758 turnovers and have committed 528. 

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's WNIT first-round matchup will be the third all-time meeting between San Francisco and Utah Valley, with the programs splitting the two contests.
• The last time San Francisco and Utah Valley squared off was on November 23, 2015, when the Wolverines earned a narrow 94-88 overtime victory in Orem, Utah. Taylor Proctor paced the green and gold with 39 points on 65 percent (13-for-20) shooting, while Rachel Howard and Zhane Dikes added 17 and 13 points to help pace the team offensively. 

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor – Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of University of San Francisco Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.