OREM, Utah – Four players scored in double figures and Eve Braslis had a double-double as Utah Valley University snapped its four-game skid with a 61-54 victory over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night. Tied at 44 after three quarters, Utah Valley used a 9-2 run midway through the fourth and outscored UTRGV 17-10 in the quarter.
 
The Wolverines (9-13) got a game-high 18 points from Jordan Holland and improved to 6-4 in the WAC while the Vaqueros (10-14) dropped to 5-6 in conference. Maria Carvalho neared a triple-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Braslis scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Josie Williams added 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
"I feel like we've been putting in the work we just haven't been able to make that play at the end, so I was really happy to see us make some shots down the stretch and get some stops," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "The girls have stayed positive and kept working and we've got another tough one on Saturday."
 
Holland hit a pair of early 3-pointers to help the Wolverines race out to an 8-0 lead less than 90 seconds into the game. The Vaqueros scored seven straight points to climb back within a point, 10-9, but Holland scored and Carvalho hit a three to make it a 15-9 contest. The Wolverines led 18-12 after one.
 
The Wolverines pushed the lead to 22-14 before a 9-0 run gave the Vaqueros their first lead, 23-22, with 5:54 left until halftime. The teams traded leads three more times before the break, with two Holland free throws giving Utah Valley a 30-28 lead after 20 minutes.
 
UVU led 33-28 following a Braslis layup before back-to-back 3-pointers started a 13-3 run by UTRGV that put the Wolverines down five, 41-36. Carvalho and Williams scored to get UVU within a point, but Megan Johnson knocked down UTRGV's fourth three of the quarter to push it back to four. Again though, Carvalho and Williams got consecutive buckets to tie it, and the teams entered the fourth deadlocked at 44.
 
It was 46-46 when Williams took a feed from Alexis Cortez for two. Cortez followed with two from the line and UVU led by four. Zhane Templeton cut it to two on a jumper before the Wolverines responded with the 9-2 spurt to extend it to a 59-50 lead. Braslis scored back-to-back layups and, after Ashlei Lopez scored for UTRGV, Carvalho hit and three and Holland a layup to force a timeout with just over two minutes to go and the Wolverines in front 59-50.
 
Lopez had 11 points to lead UTRGV while Johnson added 11 points and Buerge scored seven points and hauled in eight boards. The Vaqueros were shorthanded, playing without their top three scorers. 
 
Utah Valley shot 42.6% from the field and was 5-for-10 in the fourth while holding the Vaqueros to just 5-for-21 in the final quarter. UTRGV finished the game at 32.8% overall.
 
UVU will next host New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Lockhart Arena before playing four of the final five conference games on the road.