STANFORD, Calif. — Florida Gulf Coast University’s feared army of women's basketball 3-point sharpshooters might have finally met their match in Stanford guard Kiana Williams, who could very well be the hottest shooter in the country right now.
Since the start of postseason play, encompassing three rounds of the Pac-12 Tournament and Stanford’s first-round victory over No. 13 seed Gonzaga on Saturday, Williams has shot a ridiculous 18-for-26 (69 percent) from 3-point range and is averaging 18.5 points per game in that stretch.
More: College basketball: FGCU women face huge Stanford in Cardinal's arena in NCAA second round
More: College basketball notebook: FGCU women do a little sightseeing in California
“They’re not all just easy shots, either — they’re step-backs, pull-up 3s,” FGCU coach Karl Smesko said. “That’s pretty remarkable, what she’s been able to do. We’re just going to have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of her and don’t give her any open looks, because there’s probably not many people in the country shooting as well as she is right now.”
The hot streak from 3-point range has included a 4-for-8 performance against USC, 6-for-7 against tournament No. 7 seed Arizona State, 3-for-3 in a loss to NCAA No. 2 seed Oregon, and a 5-for-8 showing in the win over Gonzaga. She is the second-best 3-point shooter in the country over the last month and was voted to the Pac-12 All-Tournament team.
Those kinds of numbers would be impressive for any player, but it’s doubly so because Williams is a true freshman playing in her first collegiate postseason.
While nobody could blame her if the pressure of the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments caused a drop in production, Williams, growing in maturity and with the full confidence of her teammates, has been able to tune out everything off the court and focus on her play.
“It's hard to like just think about what I'm doing,” said Williams after Stanford’s 82-68 win over Gonzaga on Saturday. “I just go out there and play my game, and our seniors and upperclassmen, they are telling me to stay aggressive and keep playing my game, so that's what I do.”
Breaking down Monday night's game. By Dana Caldwell
Stanford, as a team, started out the season slowly but has matured throughout a tough schedule and has hit its stride in March with 13 wins in its last 15 games, as it has been known to do under 32nd-year head coach Tara VanDerveer. Similarly, after starting the season off the bench and adjusting to the college game, Williams is peaking at the right time — physically, mentally and as a leader.
“It’s just so awesome to see her blossoming from the beginning of the season to now,” said teammate and mentor DiJonai Carrington. “I actually was watching some of our games from that Thanksgiving tournament last night, and I just saw how different she’s playing right now. It’s just so awesome to see her confidence and her leadership just completely excelling right now.”
Join the Conversation
To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs