Dec. 5, 2009

Box Score

OGDEN, Utah - A first-half scoring drought proved costly as Utah Valley fell 66-46 at Weber State on Saturday afternoon at the Dee Events Center.

Julie Smith gave the Wolverines (3-7) a 10-8 lead on a 3-pointer early in the game but just four points over an eight-minute span allowed the Wildcats (4-3) to take control of the game. Weber State used a 19-4 run to take a 13-point lead, 27-14, with 6:24 left in the half.

Utah Valley scored the next six points on buckets from Blake Reynolds, Asumi Nakayama and Cydne Mason to get within seven. The Wildcats then closed the half with 10 straight points capped by Sarah Good's 3-pointer with five seconds left to take a 37-20 lead at the break.

The Wildcats scored six of the first eight points to begin the second half, stretching the lead to 21 at 43-22. UVU would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Smith led the way with 13 while Nakayama finished with 10 points, four assists and three steals. Jenna Johnson had nine points in her first start while Reynolds added eight points and seven rebounds. Erika Newbold also finished with seven boards for UVU, which out-rebounded WSU 32-28.

Turnovers were a problem for both teams as Utah Valley turned it over 26 times, leading to 29 points, and Weber State gave it away 22 times.

The Wildcats had a decided edge from the field, hitting 53.2 percent (25-for-47) while the Wolverines shot just 34.5 percent (19-for-55).

Tonya Schnibbe and Sarah Conner led three WSU players in double figures with 15 points while Caitlin Anderson finished with 12. Schnibbe had seven assists in the game with six coming in the first half.

The Wolverines will hit the road next week for two games starting Wednesday at Cal State Bakersfield. UVU also travels to Southern Utah next Saturday for its second game this season against the T-Birds.