OREM, Utah—Behind a game winning layup with 15.8 seconds left from sophomore Georgia Agnew, the Utah Valley University women's basketball team defeated Grand Canyon in their WAC home opener on Saturday Jan. 17 in the PE Building.
 
Agnew scored the game-winning layup after getting fouled and making her single free throw to secure the Wolverine (7-10, 1-1 WAC) win. Grand Canyon (6-9, 0-2 WAC) overcame a 14-point deficit at the half, but held their lead for less than two minutes before Agnew's imminent play.
 
"I knew it would be a game of runs, anytime a team shoots as many threes as Grand Canyon does,the momentum can swing quickly. I think we played 33 minutes of really good basketball, we executed well on the defensive end and followed the defensive game plan better than we have all season," head coach Cathy Nixon said. "We hit a lapse early in the second half and they hit some threes and we had to race with them. It seems to be the pattern that we will be in close games, but tonight our athletes showed some maturity, they scored the ball when they needed too and they had some good stops. I'm very happy with the win, but we need to take better care of the basketball and defend the three point line." 

Utah Valley's Sam Loggins led the team in scoring with 10 points, followed by Rebecca MaWhinney with nine.  Patrice Toston and Agnew both put in eight, while Karlee Norris had seven and Mariah Seals finished with six.  Norris led UVU in rebounds with six, while Loggins and MaWhinney both pulled down five.  The Wolverines shot 42.6 percent in the game and 44.4 percent from long range. 
 
Norris laid it in early to kick off an 8-0 run for the Wolverines, 14-5.  Midway through the first half, Utah Valley kicked off their second big run, going 9-0 kicked off by Loggins.  MaWhinney highlighted the run with a corner three to give UVU the 26-10 lead.
 
The Lopes retaliated when Cheyenne Hedrington led with a layup into an 8-0 run, and closed the run with a jumper with 2:44 left to play before the break (26-18). Loggins added a jumper, MaWhinney tallied her second three, and Agnew hit a free throw to give the Wolverines a 32-18 lead at the half.
 
Grand Canyon made a second half comeback on back-to-back threes by Andrea Reed and Jessica Gajewski cutting Utah Valley's lead to just one point, 44-43, with 6:07 left to play.  The Lopes took their first lead of the game with another trey by Reed to put the Lopes up 48-46. UVU responded with MaWhinney's third three on the night to regain the Wolverine lead 49-48.
 
Courtney Hayes' jumper gave the lead back to the Lopes, 50-49, at the 1:36 mark, until Agnew's victorious three point play.
 
Utah Valley continues to play at home as they take on Texas-Pan American on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. MT and New Mexico State on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. MT in the UCCU Center.