OREM, Utah – With four true freshmen in its opening-day lineup, the Utah Valley University women's basketball team topped UC Santa Barbara, 63-54 on Tuesday at the UCCU Center in front of a school record 2,815 fans.
 
Aussie newcomer Eve Braslis led the Wolverines (1-0) with 17 points and also pulled down nine rebounds while junior Jordan Holland and freshman Maria Carvahlo each scored 12. Carvalho also added nine assists and five rebounds while Holland hauled in nine boards. Junior Alexis Cortez chipped in 10 points off the bench for UVU.
 
"It feels really good to get the win. Any time you can come out this early in the season with such a young team and take care of things at home you feel good," said UVU head coach Cathy Nixon. "I'm proud of the way we competed and for us to be successful it's going to take a committee of contribution and we had that tonight."
 
An 11-0 run that spanned the end of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter helped Utah Valley seize control of the contest. A game that was tied 28-28 with less than a minute to go in the second turned to a 39-28 UVU lead with 6:10 left in the third.
 
USCB (0-1) got within six points on two occasions late in the game, but a lay-up and three free-throws from Braslis kept the Gauchos out of striking distance.
 
Utah Valley turned 15 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points and also had 11 steals, three each from newcomers Josie Williams and Emma Jones. UVU out-rebounded UCSB, 40-32. UC Santa Barbara got a game-high 21 points from Briana Anugwom with Natalia Bruening scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
 
The Wolverines jumped out quickly on the defensive end, forcing three turnovers on the first three UCSB possessions. Braslis – who finished 7-of-9 from the field, made her first attempt to get UVU on the board and another Braslis bucket, followed by a Cortez steal and layup gave UVU an 8-3 lead. Utah Valley would lead 15-13 after one quarter.
 
The game was tied at 28 with under a minute to go until the half when Carvalho hit a jumper from the elbow to give UVU the lead. Holland closed out the half with a 3-pointer just seconds before the buzzer for a 33-28 advantage at the break. Braslis was 5-for-5 with 10 points and also grabbed six rebounds while Carvalho had five assists at halftime.
 
Out of the half, Carvalho hit another jumper before two Josie Williams free throws extended the run to nine straight Utah Valley points. A Carvalho steal capped by a Keana Delos Santos fast break layup capped the pivotal 11-point run. The Wolverines led 45-36 after three, limiting the Gauchos to just eight points in the quarter.
 
The Wolverines continue their eventful opening week with the University of La Verne on Thursday in the UCCU Center at 6 p.m. MT and close out the week with the University of Portland on Saturday at 3 p.m. MT in Lockhart Arena.