CEDAR CITY, Utah – Utah Valley University suffered a narrow 60-59 loss in a thriller at Southern Utah University in a Tuesday matinee at America First Event Center.
 
The Thunderbirds (3-4) got a game-high 21 points from Harley Hansen, including what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer with 2:28 left in the game. The Wolverines (4-4) had a chance to win on the final possession but could not convert.
 
The T-Birds out-rebounded Utah Valley 44-29 and pulled down 22 offensive rebounds that resulted in 22 second chance points, including the final three from Hansen.
 
"The offensive rebounds were really the difference maker. They got off 21 more shots than we did," said UVU head coach Cathy Nixon. "I thought we had some really good moments on both ends of the floor, but we've got to be more consistent, especially on the road. The girls will come back ready to go on Thursday. Hopefully we can learn some lessons from this game."
 
Sophia Jacobsson led UVU with 11 points while Va'e Malufau had a career-best 10 points. Alexis Cortez added nine points and seven rebounds for Utah Valley. Rebecca Cardenas scored 16 for the T-Birds, hitting five 3-pointers on the day. Southern Utah outscored Utah Valley 21-9 in the final quarter with 15 points coming on five makes from beyond the arc.  
 
The Wolverines led 50-39 after three but Cardenas keyed a big run to begin the fourth with a trio of 3-pointers. Her third of the quarter made it a 2-point game, 54-52, with just over six minutes to go. The game was tied at 57-57 when Malufau scored to give Utah Valley a 59-57 lead with 3:25 left, but Hansen knocked down the game-winner that also gave SUU its first lead since the second quarter.
 
Utah Valley shot 46.8 percent from the field and had a balanced scoring output with six different players scoring at least seven points. Southern Utah finished hitting just 32.4 percent from the floor.

Eve Braslis had seven points in the opening quarter as the Wolverines erased an early 9-point deficit to get within four by the end of the first.
 
Cortez scored to open the second quarter to get Utah Valley within two and after a Braslis steal, Jordan Holland scored and was fouled for a 3-point play and UVU's first lead at 17-16. A Malufau putback followed by a corner three from Gabrielle Leos extended the Wolverines' run to 14-0.
 
With UVU in front 22-16, the T-Birds got a three from Hansen to end a string of 12 straight misses and a scoreless drought that lasted over six minutes. That three started an 8-2 run that tied the game at 24-24. Utah Valley took a 29-24 lead into the break after Josie Williams hit a three just before the halftime buzzer. Dating back to the first quarter, Utah Valley outscored Southern Utah 21-8 over the final 11:32 of the first half.
 
With UVU in front 36-30 in the third, Jacobsson hit a three and then assisted on an out-of-bounds play that resulted in Leos baseline jumper for the biggest lead of the game to that point, 41-30.
 
Up next, UVU will play another Big Sky Conference opponent on Thursday at Idaho State at 7 p.m. MT.