OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University ran away from Tarleton, 75-53, on Wednesday Night inside Lockhart Arena to win their third straight contest in WAC play. The Wolverines shot 52.6% from the field and never trailed against the Texans.
 
Utah Valley (12-12, 7-6) was led by Maria Carvalho, who had 22 points on the night to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Carvalho is now just nine points away from 1,000 points in her career. Josie Williams had 18 points and 11 rebounds to secure her 18th double-double this year, and Madison Grange dished out a career-high eight assists. Tarleton (13-11, 5-8) was led by Marissa Escamilla, who had 12 points on the night.
 
"The girls are buying in and doing what it takes to win. Even though we've been down a few players, we've really been playing together and with purpose," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "There's been consistency with the details and that has been a big key for our recent success."
 
Megan Jensen added 11 points and six boards for the Wolverines, who outrebounded the Texans 36-25. Tahlia White scored nine points and Grange finished with eight to go along with her career night in assists.
 
Utah Valley got off to a fast start, shooting 64.3% from the field in the first quarter. Williams scored all six of her points in the paint, and Carvalho provided seven points to give UVU a 19-12 first-quarter lead. The Wolverines finished with 38 points in the paint. 
 
UVU built an 11-point lead with 3:45 left in the second quarter after back-to-back buckets from Jensen. A 6-0 run over the final 1:46 of the second gave the Wolverines a 38-25 lead at the half. A jumper from Grange started the half-ending run before Williams scored down low and Eleyana Tafisi had a steal that led to a fast-break layup with four seconds left in the half.
 
The Wolverines used a 14-2 run over the first 5:04 of the third quarter to build a 27-point lead, their largest advantage of the game. Williams scored on two straight possessions to open the scoring. Later in the quarter, Carvalho chipped in a 3-pointer before and White added a quick five points to cap the UVU run. Tarleton responded with a quick six points to end the quarter and the Wolverines led 54-35 after three.
 
Utah Valley hosts Dixie State on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT in the the Old Hammer Rivalry. Last month, the Wolverines held off the Trailblazers 68-65 at Dixie State. Next week, UVU hits the road to take on Seattle U and California Baptist.