OREM, Utah – Four Utah Valley University players reached double figures but the Wolverines were held off by Grand Canyon University, 66-59, on Saturday in the UCCU Center.
 
Jordan Holland led the Wolverines (8-11, 5-2) with 15 points and surpassed 1,000 points for her career. Her first bucket, 51 seconds into the game, gave her 1,000 and she became the eighth player in the program's NCAA Division I era to achieve the feat.
 
Maria Carvalho and Nehaa Sohail both scored 13 and Josie Willams added 10 for UVU while Mae Bryant finished with a game-high 16 for Grand Canyon (9-8, 4-2). Jada Holland scored 15 points and dished out nine assists and Da'jah Daniel grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Lopes.

"Really it came down to the small things. We didn't do things that we did well in the first half and took the easy route. I think we're at a crossroads now. We won seven games in a row by doing the small things," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "It was a really frustrating game. Probably the worst defensive half we've played in a month. The good news is, we're still 5-2 in conference and still have a chance to win it but we're going to have to buckle down and get back to the basics."

With the Wolverines trailing 44-42 entering the fourth, Grand Canyon hit six of its first eight attempts from the field in the fourth, including four straight makes during an 8-1 spurt that gave the Lopes a 56-47 lead with 4:28 to go. Jada Holland hit another bucket for the Lopes to push it to 11, the biggest lead of the game. The Wolverines got back to within five on three different occasions in the final two minutes, but could get no closer.

After leading 30-25 at the half, the Wolverines were outscored 41-29 in the second. 

UVU jumped out to a 6-0 lead but Grand Canyon answered, holding UVU to just two free throws over the next six minutes of action. GCU led 13-8 after an 8-0 run before Holland scored to end the field goal drought. The Lopes extended it to a 17-10 lead when Nehaa Sohail scored four points in the final 23 seconds of the opening quarter. She picked off a pass and took it the length of the court right before the horn sounded to make it 17-14 after one.
 
Sohail hit two free throws to begin the second and then buried a three to give her nine straight points – and a 9-0 UVU run – to give the Wolverines a 19-17 lead. UVU led 24-23 before a 6-0 spurt extended the lead to seven, the highest advantage of the half. Tavia Rowell scored on GCU's final possession of the half to make it 30-25 at the break.

Utah Valley led 34-28 in the third before Grand Canyon went on an 11-2 run to take a 39-36 lead. Tianna Brown scored and was fouled and hit the free throw to give GCU its first lead since early in the second quarter. After the Wolverines won the second quarter 16-8, the Lopes outscored UVU 17-12 in the third to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth.
 
Utah Valley travels to California Baptist next Wednesday, Jan. 29 in a game that will tip at 11 a.m. PT/noon MT. It's the Wolverines' only game of the week.