LOGAN, Utah— Utah Valley University women's basketball dropped its first road contest and first in-state game of the season on Thursday at Utah State 79-61. The Wolverines return home for another game against another Utah school when Weber State comes to the UCCU Center on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
 
Rhaiah Spooner-Knight had another strong outing with a season high 21 points to lead all scorers, but the Wolverines couldn't overcome 25 turnovers while the Aggies turned it over just eight times.
 
"We need to take control of the parts of the game we can control," head coach Cathy Nixon said.  "The main focus for us, is to not worry about who we are playing and focus. Our young team will get some experience and we can translate that into a good game against Weber on Saturday. "
 
The Wolverines led 8-4 early but Utah State took off on a 9-0 run to earn a lead that would only be in danger when Utah Valley tied the game 25-25 halfway through the first half.
 
At the break, there was only a three point break 39-36 with an Aggie lead. USU used a 15-2 run early in the second half to secure the game.
 
Mariah Seals contributed nine points to the breakdown, shooting 2-for-5 from behind the arc.  Taylor Gordon led in assists and steals with three each. Karlee Norris  took down 11 rebounds, and Utah Valley dominated the boards tearing down 47 while the Aggies took down 43.
 
The Wolverines will see Weber State (2-0) at home on Saturday. The Wildcats defeated Montana Western 77-31 on Nov.  14 and Bristol University 94-48 on Nov. 17. The Wildcats play their first road game against Air Force on Nov. 20.