MOSCOW, Idaho — Utah Valley University built a lead with offensive efficiency and then held off Idaho late with its defense to pick up a 66-57 road win at ICCU Arena on Saturday afternoon. Ally Criddle led three Wolverines in double figures with 15.
 
UVU (3-2) came out of the gate on fire offensively, then used a pair of steals in the final minutes to secure the win over the Vandals (3-2). The Wolverines overcame foul trouble throughout the night as they were whistled for 25 fouls compared to 15 against the Vandals. Idaho got to the line 23 times, making 17, while UVU was 7-for-11 from the stripe.
 
"It was a hard-fought game, and we knew it would be. Idaho is coming off two big wins in Hawai'i and our depth was tested, but I'm really pleased with our kids to get this win on the road," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson.
 
Kaylee Byon added 14 points and Saige Gibb finished with 11 points and five rebounds while Hope Butera had a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead Idaho. All three Wolverines in double figures recorded season highs in points.
 
Both teams shot it well early on. After missing their opening attempt, the Wolverines connected on nine of their next 10 shots while the Vandals began the game 6-for-8. Six players scored for UVU in the opening quarter, with Gibb and Byon scoring six apiece off the bench. The Wolverines built a 26-19 lead after one after making 11-of-15 attempts from the field (73.3%) as Gibb scored the final six points for UVU.
 
UVU led by five in the second when Liana Kaitu'u hit a three to make it 31-27 just over two minutes in. Criddle hit the team's fourth 3-pointer of the half to extend it to 36-27 and Kaitu'u followed with a tough left-handed layup to push the lead into double digits. Up 10, Tessa Chaney took a great feed from Gibb to go up 40-28, the biggest lead of the half.
 
The Wolverines ran into foul trouble as four different players were whistled for two fouls in the opening half. That allowed Idaho to chip into the deficit with five straight points, all from the line, before Utah Valley extended it back to 10, 43-33, at the break. Byon had 10 points and Kaitu'u had nine while UVU made 66.7% (18-for-27) in the first 20 minutes.
 
Utah Valley led 45-35 when Criddle buried her second three to spur a quick 7-2 spurt that gave the Wolverines a 52-37 advantage, their biggest of the game. Mabry scored four straight to push it to 15, including when she recorded a block on the defensive end and took it the length of the court for two.
 
Butera almost single-handedly kept Idaho within striking distance. She scored six straight to trim it back to nine, 52-43. It was down to seven before Gibb beat the buzzer with a jumper to give the Wolverines a 56-47 lead after three.
 
Foul trouble continued to plague UVU, with Byon getting her fourth foul late in the third and Tafisi picking up her fourth less than a minute into the fourth before being whistled for her fifth with 8:46 left. The offense for both teams stalled early in the fourth. Over the first four minutes only Idaho would score, getting a bucket and a 1-for-2 trip to the line to make it 56-50. Gibb scored to end UVU's drought, but that was answered by an Ashlyn Wallace 3-pointer to make it 58-53 with 5:29 remaining.
 
It was 61-55 when the Wolverines got a pair of key steals that led to layups. Kaitu'u intercepted the entry pass on the defensive end and then found Criddle for two on the offensive end. Mabry got a steal with 1:35 left and hit an open Criddle for an easy two and a 65-55 Wolverine lead to put the game out of reach.
 
Despite cooling off in the second half, Utah Valley still finished at 52.9% (27-for-51) for the game while Idaho was 19-for-46 (41.3%). The Wolverines also finished with 12 steals, with four of those coming from Mabry.
 
Utah Valley will now play two early games in the WAC regular season as they travel to Seattle U for a contest next Wednesday before returning home to host Utah Tech on Saturday, Dec. 2.