OREM, Utah-- Behind a big second-quarter offensive burst by Cal State Fullerton, Utah Valley women's basketball suffered a 73-36 loss to the Titans in a pre-holiday showdown Saturday afternoon inside the UCCU Center.
 
The loss to the Titans (5-7) marks only the second defeat for the Wolverines (5-8) on their home floor this season.
 
Senior guard Taylor Christensen led UVU with a team-high 10 points as the squad's leading scorer and only player to reach double-figures. Sophomore guard Alexis Cortez tallied seven points in her highest scoring game as a Wolverine, while freshman guard Sophia Jacobsson added a career-high six points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor.
 
Meanwhile, Cal State Fullerton enjoyed a pair of individual 20-point efforts and a game-high 22 points from junior center Daeja Smith who shot 10-of-11 on the day.  Junior guard Hannah Thompson nearly mirrored Smith's performance with 21 points for the Titans, including five made three-pointers, to help guide a hot-shooting Titan team that knocked down 62 percent of its shots.
 
In addition to finishing with her 12th double-figure scoring game on the year, Christensen tallied five steals – each in the first half – to help UVU rack up 12 takeaways en route to forcing 21 turnovers on the day. The Wolverines won the turnover battle for the eight time this year, as they only committed 14 on the day.
 
However, CSF countered their turnovers with extra possessions and a 43-20 rebounding advantage. The Titans' defense held UVU in check on offense by allowing just 14 made field goals.
 
Facing an early deficit, the Wolverines battled back with an 8-5 offensive spurt led by back-to-back two-point baskets from sophomore center Leya Harvey. Harvey hit a left baseline jumper and added a layup off Christensen's third steal of the day to bring the score to 10-7.
 
The Titans used a 17-3 run to end the second quarter that included six points from Smith to take a 38-15 lead into the halftime break. Thompson addded to the second-quarter burst for CSU Fullerton with her third and fourth three-pointers in the first 20 minutes of action, helping the squad open up a big lead which the Wolverines never recovered from.
 
Christensen helped shoulder the load for the Utah Valley offense in the second quarter with four points in the period. The 5-8 guard also went on a personal run with six straight Wolverine points during a quick 6-3 surge in the fourth quarter.
 
The Wolverines attempted to claw back with a 12-3 run that stemmed from the final 2:45 minutes of the third quarter into the beginning of the fourth. Cortez hit one of her team-high two threes to spark the run, while Christensen made a pair of free throws and a two-point jumper to bring UVU's deficit to its lowest the rest of the way at 55-30.
 
Freshman forward Nehaa Sohail made her debut for the Wolverines, finishing with two points and two rebounds in her first nine minutes on the court this season. A 6-2 forward, Sohail grabbed each of her boards on the offensive glass as part of a game-high 10 team offensive rebounds for Utah Valley.
 
Utah Valley will conclude its six-game homestand to close the 2017 calendar year when it hosts Antelope Valley on Friday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. MT inside the UCCU Center.