OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University jumped ahead early, but Seattle University got a career night from Taliyah Clark en route to a 66-58 win over the Wolverines on Thursday night in the UCCU Center.
Clark finished with 25 points and went 7-for-8 from three as the Redhawks (2-16, 2-6) shot 63.6% from the field in the second half including 11-for-13 (84.6%) in what proved to be a pivotal third quarter.
Shay Fano led the Wolverines (4-16, 1-8) with 16 points while
Kaylee Byon added 14 and
Eleyana Tafisi finished with 13 points and five assists.
The Wolverines got off to a quick start and struck right away when Tafisi picked Juliana Walker's pocket and took it the other way for two just 15 seconds into the contest. The game was tied 2-2 when UVU hit five straight shots during a 16-0 run to build an early double-digit lead.
Mae Afoa started the run with a three and Fano hit a pair of treys during an eight-point quarter for her.
Utah Valley led 18-2 before the Redhawks broke a scoring drought of eight minutes when Irena Korolenko went 1-for-2 from the line with 43 seconds left in the first. The Wolverines led 20-5 after one.
Seattle U chipped away at the lead in the second quarter behind a trio of 3-pointers from Clark and seven attempts from the free-throw line, making six. The combination of Clark's 3-for-4 quarter from distance and six makes at the line accounted for 15 of the Redhawks' 19 points in the second. UVU led 32-19 with under two minutes to go but Korolenko hit two from the line and Clark her third 3-pointer to make it 32-24 at the half.
Fano hit her third triple of the game to start the scoring in the third, but Seattle U got hot, scoring 12 straight points including Clark's fourth triple with 6:06 to go to take its first lead of the game, 36-35. That three began a stretch of six straight makes for the Redhawks, which also came during an 11-for-12 streak for Seattle U that saw them turn a 13-point deficit late in the second into a 52-44 lead a quarter later. The Redhawks were 11-for-13 from the field in the third and outscored Utah Valley 28-14 to take a 52-46 lead into the fourth.
Seattle U's offensive outburst coincided with
Ally Criddle being whistled for her second and third fouls early in the second quarter, and then her fourth just 70 seconds into the third.
Clark hit her seventh 3-pointer of the game to begin the fourth, giving her 23 points on 7-for-8 from long distance to that point, which included six straight makes from beyond the arc. Utah Valley got within six after Tafisi scored and was fouled and hit the free throw to make it 57-51 with 4:02 left, but Asta Blauenfeldt hit one of two 3-point makes on the night before hitting a pair from the line to push it to 11, 62-51, with just over three minutes to go.
Afoa added eight points and five rebounds for Utah Valley while Peyton Howard finished with eight points and Korolenko finished with eight points and 11 rebounds for Seattle U.
Utah Valley will head back to Texas next week for games at Abilene Christian (Feb. 2) and Tarleton (Feb. 4).
