LAS VEGAS—Josie Williams recorded her 23rd double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds while Maria Carvalho added 21 points to lead Utah Valley to a 72-57 win over UT Rio Grande Valley in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament on Thursday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
 
Utah Valley improves to 16-14 overall and advances to the WAC Tournament semifinals to take on top-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Friday at noon.

"Defensively, we made things harder for them in the second half," said Utah Valley head coach Dan Nielsen. "We contested all their shots to the very and rebounded the ball a lot better in the second half. Megan Jensen played big for us and really made a difference. The consistency of effort and a little more size was the difference for us. Josie did a nice job. The more she screens the easier it is for us to get her the ball and she did a good job of that. I thought Maria did a great job defensively on UTRGV's guards and she's obviously really good when she is engaged offensively."
 
The first quarter produced three ties and one lead change. Neither team led by more than three points as UVU took a 16-15 lead with 2:15 to play in the first. Josie Williams then knocked down a shot at the 1:54 mark and Maria Carvalho connected on a and-one to spark a 9-2 UVU run over the next give the Wolverines a 25-17 lead with 7:02 to play in the second quarter.
 
UT Rio Grande Valley responded with a 17-4 run to take a 34-29 lead with 1:28 to play in the half. Emma Martin then knocked down a shot with 38 seconds on the clock that ended a nearly six-minute span without a field goal for the Wolverines to cut the UTRGV lead to a three-point, 34-31, deficit at the half.
 
Williams scored four straight points and Jensen added four-straight buckets as UVU opened the third quarter with 12 unanswered points to take a 43-34 lead five minutes into the half. The Wolverines went on an 18-3 run in the third quarter to take a 49-37 advantage into the fourth. Utah Valley then outscored the Vaqueros 19-15 in the fourth quarter to secure the 72-57 win.
 
Williams knocked down 10 of 17 shots from the field and connected on 2 of 3 free throws for her game-high 22 points. She also dished out three assists in 32 minutes of action. Carvalho hit 7 of 15 shots from the floor and matched a season high with six three-pointers for her 21 points. The junior guard also pulled down four rebounds and recorded a steal.
 
Megan Jensen also tallied a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She connected on 7 of 10 shots and was a perfect 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Madison Grange added six points with five rebounds, two assists, and a block.
 
As a team, Utah Valley shot 46.7 percent (28-60) from the floor and knocked down 7 of 18 threes for a 38.9 percent clip. The Wolverines knocked down 9 of 10 shots at the charity stripe. UVU outrebounded UTRGV 47-32.
 
Utah Valley moves on to the WAC Tournament semifinals on Friday to take on No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin on Friday at noon. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.