OREM, Utah--With four Wolverines in double-digit scoring, the Utah Valley University women's basketball team defeated Missouri-Kansas City 79-71 on Thursday in the UCCU Center.

Utah Valley was paced by sharpshooter Rebecca MaWhinney with a game-high 20 points and a 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc. Seniors Sam Loggins and Patrice Toton had 17 and 14 points, respectively, and Mariah Seals tallied 12 on the night. Deijah Blanks just missed the double-digit mark with nine points, while Georgia Agnew added three, and Taylor Gordon and Hadley Nielson rounded out the Wolverine scoring with two points apiece. Blanks grabbed six boards on the night, while Loggins had five rebounds, MaWhinney had four and Gordon picked up three. Seals had a season-high six assists on the night.
 
Missouri-Kansas City opened the contest on a 10-0 run to lead 12-4 in the first five minutes of play. The streak was broken by a Mariah Seals three-pointer which was answered with a three from Kelsey Barrett. Utah Valley responded again with a three-pointer from Rebecca MaWhinney (15-10). A buzzer beating layup brought the Wolverines within three for a 17-14 Kangaroo lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
"This is a long time coming. These girls have battled through thick or thin in the last month or so and this is a great feeling to see them come out and be successful," head coach Cathy Nixon said. "I think we responded in a way I hope we would respond when the game gets close like it did tonight. I think we will be able to build some momentum from here, but we will celebrate this one tonight, regroup, and prepare for Chicago State on Saturday."
 
Utah Valley tied the contest at 23 in the second quarter, but could only gain a brief 28-27 lead. The Wolverines were down by six going into the second half, until Deijah Blanks sank a huge on-the-buzzer half-court shot to get within three at 34-31 at the break.
 
UMKC opened the third quarter with back-to-back threes from Samantha Waldron to jump out to a 40-32 lead. MaWhinney was able to convert on a four-point play from a trey and a free throw, until Kiana Law ran off six straight points to keep the 46-38 Roo advantage. Waldron hit another three with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter, and Utah Valley responded with their third buzzer-beater on the night, with a three-pointer from MaWhinney, heading into the fourth period 55-54. 
 
After a UMKC layup, UVU senior Patrice Toston opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to tie the contest at 57-57. The trey kicked off an 8-0 run where Utah Valley took a 62-59 advantage. With just under two minutes remaining, MaWhinney hit a breakaway three-pointer to take a 71-65 lead. Free throws sealed the 79-71 victory for Utah Valley, breaking a five game losing streak and earning the Wolverines their first WAC win.
 
Utah Valley will return to the UCCU Center on Saturday to host WAC foe Chicago State at 3 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed live on WolverineGreen.com and a StatBroadcast will be available.