OREM – Utah Valley rallied from a 14-point deficit to knock off UT Rio Grande Valley 72-57 in the Lockhart arena. Jordan Holland and Maria Carvalho each scored 16 points to lead five Wolverines in double figures as they finished off the season sweep of UT Rio Grande Valley. The Wolverines improve to 13-11 on the season, including 7-4 in conference play. The Vaqueros fall to 14-11 and 8-4 WAC play.

The Wolverines fell behind 39-25 in the second quarter before outscoring the Vaqueros 47-18 the rest of the way. Utah Valley tightened it defense as it held UT Rio Grande Valley to just three field goals the entire second half. The Wolverines offense took off as well as they shot 72 percent from the field in the second half.

"I'm so proud of our team and how they changed this game in the locker room," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon. "We had to focus on what makes us successful and I think we got distracted from that in the first half. UTRGV is a good team and giving up just 17 points in the second half is big."

After both teams exchanged baskets to start the game, UT Rio Grande Valley went on a 13-3 run to extend their lead to 21-9 and finished the opening quarter with a 24-11 advantage. The Vaqueros shot 6-9 from deep while the Wolverines were limited to just 38.5 percent from the field.

Utah Valley opened the second quarter on an 14-7 surge by getting to the charity stripe to cut the lead down to 31-25 with 5:26 to go in the half. Josie Williams led the charge, sandwiching a three-point play between two huge blocks. The Vaqueros responded with an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the half, 39-25, with 2:41 to go in the opening half. Holland scored five straight points, highlighted by a three in transition, before a late free throw by UT Rio Grand Valley gave them a 40-30 lead going into intermission.

The Wolverines dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Vaqueros 23-7 and held them to just 2-14 shooting from the field. Utah Valley opened on an 11-0 run to take a 42-41 lead with 5:48 to go in the third quarter. After the Vaqueros tied it up at 45-45, UVU finished the quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 53-47 lead into the final quarter.

Utah Valley seized control with a dominant fourth quarter, holding UT Rio Grand Valley to a single field goal in the final period. The Wolverines outscored the Vaqueros 19-10 in the final frame and led by as many as 18 points and then coasted to the win. The Wolverine defense held the Vaqueros to just 12 percent in the second half.

The Wolverines shot 58.3 percent for the game and dominated the paint, outscoring UT Rio Grande Valley 36-12 for the game. They also held the Vaqueros to just 28.6 percent for the game and outrebounded them 34-28. Holland also added a team-high seven rebounds and 3 steals and Carvalho has seven assists. Eve Braslis finished with 14 points, six rebounds and a team-leading eight assists. Alexis Cortez and Williams joined them double figures with 12 points apiece.  

"We are entering that home stretch in conference with two important games on the road next week against two respectable teams," said Nixon. "We'll have to play well and hopefully build off the momentum from this game."

The Wolverines continue WAC play on the road as they head to Chicago to take on the Cougars on Feb. 21. Tip is set for 6:00pm MT and will be broadcasted live on the WAC Digital Network.