PHOENIX -- Utah Valley came up short in WAC play on Thursday, falling 63-53 to Grand Canyon. Despite the loss, the Wolverines clinched a berth in the WAC Tournament with Tarleton losing on Wednesday night. The conference tournament will begin March 6 in Las Vegas. 

Shay Fano led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds while Kaylee Byon finished with 11 points and both Saige Gibb and Kylee Mabry chipped in eight for the Wolverines (6-10, 3-12). Grand Canyon had three players in double figures, led by Tiarra Brown's 13 points and 10 rebounds. Naudia Evans finished with 13 and Olivia Lane added 12 for the Lopes (19-7, 11-4). 

Grand Canyon had a 36-22 edge in rebounding, including 16 offensive boards that led to 15 second-chance points while the Wolverines did not score a point off an offensive rebound in the game. 

The Wolverines got off to a quick start behind 3-pointers from Mae Afoa and Fano, and UVU led 10-3 early on. GCU chipped away and the game was knotted at 15-15 after one. 

The second quarter proved to be the turning point for GCU, after outscoring UVU 11-3 in the period. The Wolverines were just 1-for-10 in the quarter and UVU found itself trailing 26-18 at the break. Fano hit a 3-pointer at the 7:22 mark to give the Wolverines an 18-17 lead, but Utah Valley would go scoreless the rest of the half. 

Grand Canyon pushed the lead into double figures in the third and led by as much as 14 before ending the third with a 43-33 lead. The closest Utah Valley would get in the fourth was eight points, but the Wolverines could not get within striking distance. 

Utah Valley will now head to Seattle U for a Saturday afternoon tilt. The Wolverines entered Thursday's action just in front of the Redhawks in the WAC resume seeding as the teams jockey for position in the tournament bracket. Seattle U lost a 79-73 overtime contest at home to Utah Tech on Thursday night.