PHOENIX — Madison Grange scored 20 points and Utah Valley held off a late charge from Grand Canyon in a 58-50 win at GCU Arena on Thursday night. Maria Carvalho scored 12 points and Josie Williams added 11 points and 11 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season.
 
"I'm so proud of this team and the effort they left out on the court tonight," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "We had a lot of people contribute and do a lot of things that don't show up in the box score. Everyone stepped up tonight."

The Wolverines (10-12, 5-6) limited the Lopes (15-7, 8-3) to just 29.3% (17-for-58) shooting from the floor while hitting 41.9% (18-for-43). Tahlia White added nine points and four rebounds off the bench while Carvalho's line included six rebounds and Grange had three steals.
 
Ja'mya Powell-Smith led Grand Canyon with 15 points and Dominque Phillips added 13 off the bench for the Lopes.
 
After Grange got the game's first basket, GCU scored eight quick points to take an 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. Grange hit a three and a pair from the line to get UVU within a point with 3:17 left in the first. The Lopes stretched it back to a five-point lead before White knocked a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to make it a 16-14 game after one.
 
Kennedi Shorts broke an 18-18 tie with an athletic putback on the offensive glass to give Grand Canyon a 20-18 lead with 5:19 left until the half. The Lopes didn't score the rest of the half while the Wolverines scored nine straight to take a 27-20 lead into the break. Williams scored on consecutive touches and Carvalho drove to the hoop for two before Grange knocked down her second three to give her 10 points. GCU missed its last nine attempts from the field while UVU finished the half making four of its last five.
 
Utah Valley was able to maintain the lead in the third quarter, with it never going lower than five or more than nine. Grange scored four straight points to push a 34-29 lead to 38-29. With it back at seven, Williams closed the quarter with an offensive board and bucket just before the end of the quarter and UVU took a 40-31 into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
The Wolverines led 42-33 lead before an 8-0 run pushed the lead to 17, 50-33, with 4:52 left. Grange hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game during the run and Ally Blackham capped it with two in the paint.
 
Grand Canyon made a run, scoring five straight and 14 of the next 16 points to get as close as five, 52-47, with 1:20 to go on a steal and a layup by Powell-Smith. Williams and Blackham pushed it back to nine, both hitting a pair from the line and the Lopes comeback attempt ran out of time.  
 
The Wolverines now head to New Mexico State for a noon tip-off on Saturday in Las Cruces.