OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University nabbed 22 steals and
Saige Gibb set a new single-game record with eight as the Wolverines ran past Westminster, 76-42, on Tuesday night in the UCCU Center.
UVU (2-2) forced 33 turnovers and had five different players record multiple steals including
Jenna Dick, who scored a season-high 13 points while picking up three steals. Dick and
Kaylee Byon led Utah Valley in scoring while
Eleyana Tafisi added 10 points and six assists as the Wolverines assisted on 22 of their 26 makes. Gibb and
Amanda Barcello both finished with eight points.
All 13 players in uniform entered the contest and all 12 who had at least one attempt from the field scored. That included
Hanna Roberts, who saw her first action and scored her first points as a Wolverine. She finished with four points, making both of her attempts, while
Abby Hendricks also made her season debut and dished out a pair of assists.
The Wolverines created separation early on as Barcello started a 20-3 run with the first of four UVU makes from beyond the arc in the opening frame. Four different players hit 3-pointers, and UVU recorded eight steals and forced 11 Westminster turnovers in the first en route to a 24-9 lead after one.
After shooting 52.6% in the opening quarter, the Wolverines cooled off considerably in the second, making just 3-for-16 in the second 10 minutes of action. Despite that, Utah Valley added a point to its lead to take a 37-21 lead into the break. Byon had eight in the half to lead the Wolverines while Tafisi had six points and six assists, and Gibb recorded four steals.
In the third, UVU led 45-28 before closing the quarter out with an 8-2 run to enter the fourth up 23, 53-30. Westminster had a 7-0 scoring spurt in the fourth to get back within 21 but the Wolverines finished the game on a 16-3 run.
Westminster's Elizabeth Means led all scorers with 15 points while Maunayia Harrigfeld had a game-high 13 rebounds. Dick led the Wolverines with six boards. Utah Valley turned the 33 Griffin Turnovers into 41 points, while also getting 49 points from its bench. UVU finished the game at 41.9% from the field (26-for-62) while hitting 11-for-31 from three. Westminster shot 37.5% (15-for-40) in the contest.
The Wolverines will now head to Moscow, Idaho to take on the University of Idaho on Saturday afternoon before opening with two WAC contests next week including Utah Tech in the UCCU Center on Saturday, Dec. 2.