OREM, Utah — A strong defensive effort helped Utah Valley University to a 56-47 win over New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon in the UCCU Center. The win pushed the Wolverines (8-5, 6-4) into a tie for second place in the WAC standings.
 
Shay Fano finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Josie Williams added 15 points and 10 rebounds and four blocks to lead UVU. Nehaa Sohail also finished with 10 points and eight boards to round out three Utah Valley players scoring in double figures.
 
"Today we had a lot better attention to detail defensively with our game plan and personnel," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "New Mexico State plays hard and they're a tough team and are well-coached. Just happy to see the girls bounce back, we hit some big shots and we still give ourselves a chance at second place."

Down 39-38 entering the fourth, the Wolverines (8-5, 6-4) held the Aggies (5-10, 3-5) without a point for over six minutes and in the meantime got 3-pointers from Fano and Sohail to take a 44-39 lead. Up five with just over three minutes left, Williams scored after UVU corralled an offensive rebound on a free-throw miss to push it back to seven, 48-41.
 
Sohail later stole it on one end, and was fouled and converted on both from the line for the Wolverines' biggest lead to that point, 52-43, with under two minutes remaining. Williams put back a miss to seal the game with 55.9 left and make it 54-43. The Wolverines outscored the Aggies 18-8 in the fourth, with four of NM State's points coming in the final 10 seconds after the outcome was decided.
 
After getting outrebounded by 12 on Friday, Utah Valley held a 38-35 edge on the glass in earning the series split on Saturday. Aaliyah Prince and Deja Terrell led New Mexico State with nine points apiece.
 
Rodrea Echols hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter to account for half of NM State's total, and the Aggies led 12-11 after 10 minutes of action. Maria Carvalho had five in the quarter for UVU, including a running bucket with just five seconds to go for two of her eight points.
 
Prince coverted a 3-point play with a layup and free-throw to give New Mexico State a 17-15 lead before the Wolverines ran off six straight, four of which came from Fano. The Wolverines led 21-20 when Sohail put back a miss and Williams scored, was fouled and knocked down the free-throw to give UVU a 26-20 advantage.
 
Prince and the Aggies came right back, closing the half on their own 6-0 run, with Prince scoring the final bucket of the quarter following a Wolverine turnover.
 
NM State extended the run to 11-0 after scoring the first five points of the third quarter to take a 31-26 lead. With the Wolverines down 33-28, Grange drilled a 3-pointer and Sohail later hit a 15-footer to get UVU within one, 35-34. Fano hit a 3-pointer two possessions later to give the Wolverines their first lead of the half, 37-35. UVU led 38-37 before Shania Harper scored with nine seconds left to give the Aggies a 39-38 lead after three.
 
Following the game, Utah Valley honored the team's lone senior, Va'e Malufau, after she played in the final home game of her career. She finished with a pair of rebounds and an assist in the win.
 
Next week, the Wolverines will head to Texas for games at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley next Friday and Saturday.