Recap : Box Score : Cumulative Stats

CEDAR CITY , Utah - The Utah Valley State women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker Monday night in Cedar City at the buzzer 72-70. Sarah Hutton scored four points in the final 9.6 seconds including a lay-up at the buzzer to given the T-Birds
the win.
  
Following the bucket by Hutton with 9.6 to go, Kelci Naihe drove the length of the court and tied the game, but Hutton beat the defense down the court and scored a lay-in at the buzzer.
  
Katie Wilson was a workhorse for the Wolverines, finishing with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kelci Naihe led Utah Valley State with 16, while Miriam Palkki scored 15. Janis Beal led SUU with 20 points, while Hutton finished with 16, including the game winner.
  
Wilson, Palkki and Kaydee Allred all finished the game on the bench because of fouls.

The Wolverines built a 14 point twice in the 2nd half before an 8-0 SUU run cut the lead to six. The T-Birds then slowly chipped into the lead and cut it to two on two Cassie Warburton free throws, but a Katie Wilson bucket and free throw extended the lead back to five, 51-46.
  
The lead was at four with 5:08 to go when Kelci Naihe hit her fourth three-pointer of the game giving the Wolverines a 66-59 lead. Miriam Palkki then hit a bucket to put the lead back at nine.
  
SUU chipped away again, cutting the lead to one, 68-67 with 19.4 seconds remaining. After a tough over the back call on Katie Wilson with just 17.8 seconds, SUU was at the foul line trailing by one point. After hitting the first, the T-Birds missed the 2nd but got the offensive rebound. Hutton's bucket at 9.6 seconds followed and the rest was history.
  
The first half was all Utah Valley State. Miriam Palkki scored six early in the first half, but both she and Kaydee Allred picked up two quick fouls, forcing Coach Nixon to rely on the bench. And the bench came through.
  
Kelci Naihe scored 11 and Rebekah Fales had 10 off the bench for the Wolverines in the half. Naihe hit 3-4 from the 3-point line while Fales hit two three's and pulled down five boards. Katie Wilson hit all three of her field goal attempts while grabbing seven rebounds.
  
The Wolverines shot 66.7% from the field in the half, while holding SUU to just 38.2% shooting. Utah Valley State built a nine point lead at 32-23, then after a 5-0 SUU run, the Wolverines scored eight straight to build a 40-28 lead that
Southern Utah would cut to 10 at the break.
  
Utah Valley State will have the rest of the week off for Christmas, then resume play next Tuesday, December 28th in Portland against Portland State. They will stay in the northwest for a game at the University of Portland on the 30th.