OREM, Utah—Rhaiah Spooner-Knight scored a game-high 15 points and Rebecca MaWhinney posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Utah Valley University women's basketball team to a 58-44 win over Air Force Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
 
The win over Air Force marks Utah Valley's second straight win over a Mountain West team as the Wolverines defeated Boise State on Saturday night.
 
"For us it's about being a team that can be competitive for the WAC regular season championship and the WAC Tournament championship," head coach Cathy Nixon said. "I thought we had some flashes tonight that were really good. I didn't feel like we controlled the momentum on the defensive end like we wanted to but that consistency is something we're working at."
 
Tied 19-19 with 4:50 to play in the first half, Utah Valley went on an 8-0 run to close out the first half with a 27-19 lead. Air Force cut the UVU lead to just four points, 42-38, with nine minutes to play. The Wolverines responded with a 12-2 run to take a 14-point lead with 1:36 to play, helping to secure the victory.
 
Spooner-Knight scored her 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 3-of-4 mark from the charity stripe. She also pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded a pair of steals.
 
Mariah Seals recorded her third consecutive game in double figures with 14 points. MaWhinney's performance marks the first double-double of the season for the Wolverines.
 
Utah Valley forced Air Force into 21 turnovers and converted them into 21 points. The Wolverines shot 40 percent from the field while limiting the Falcons to 34 percent shooting.
 
Utah Valley continues play on Dec. 13 as the team travels to take on Idaho State in Pocatello. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. (MT).