OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University used a 19-2 run late in the game on its way to a 64-53 win over UT Arlington on Thursday night in the UCCU Center. The Wolverines outscored the Lady Mavs 26-10 in the final quarter of play.
 
Kylee Mabry set new career highs with 14 points and six steals, Ally Criddle finished with 13 points and six boards, and Mae Afoa added 10 points for UVU. Shay Fano grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and Elina Tausinga set a new career-high of eight points with six coming in the third quarter. Criddle and Afoa accounted for 19 of the team's 26 points and Fano had four of her five assists in the final quarter. UVU assisted on all 15 of its made field goals in the second half, finishing with 17 in the game after having just two in the first half.
 
"I'm just really happy for the team. It hasn't always gone our way and we earned that against a good, athletic team that knocked off SUU the other day," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "UT Arlington is really athletic and a tough guard for us. But as the game wore on, we stayed committed to what we were trying to do. It's good to see the growth and I'm excited for the girls."
 
Utah Valley (6-17, 2-9) trailed 43-38 entering the fourth. Criddle scored five straight points to begin the quarter, tying it at 43-43 with a 3-pointer with 8:14 to go. UT Arlington (10-14, 4-8) responded with a 7-0 run; Taleyah Jones scored five points, including a three, and Starr Jacobs had an easy two after a Jones steal to give UTA a 50-43 lead with 6:15 to go. The Wolverines would go on to finish the game on a 21-3 run from that point. 
 
Out of a timeout, Utah Valley answered with 10 straight to take the lead when Afoa buried a three with 3:19 remaining. Saige Gibb started the run with a three before Tausinga and Afoa scored down low before Afoa's go-ahead triple. After Kamaria Gipson scored for UTA, Afoa hit another three that hit off the back iron and the rim twice before dropping through to give UVU a 56-52 lead with just over two minutes left. The Wolverines then hit 8-of-10 from the line in the final 61 seconds to pull away and secure the win.
 
The Wolverines were 21-for-48 (43.8%) from the floor while the Lady Mavs were 19-for-59 (32.2%). UTA had a 40-31 edge on the glass, but UVU withstood 14 offensive rebounds, surrendering just six second-chance points to the Lady Mavs.
 
UTA's Kayla White led all scorers with 20 points, 15 of which came in the opening half. She hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the game and helped UTA build a 13-6 lead. The Wolverines closed to within four, 13-9, with Mabry scoring the final three points of the first quarter.
 
Utah Valley chipped away at the lead, getting to the line 10 times in the second quarter. Kaylee Byon and Mabry both hit two free throws and Mabry scored on a layup as the Wolverines came back to tie it at 17-17 with 4:51 left in the half.
 
White spurred a 9-0 UTA run, scoring seven points, including her third 3-pointer of the game, to help the Lady Mavs to a 26-17 advantage. UT Arlington would lead 28-19 at the break. Mabry had seven to top Utah Valley in the scoring column with Byon scoring six in the opening 20 minutes of play. Mabry had four steals in the opening half and Criddle had three.
 
The Lady Mavs pushed the lead to as much as 12 in the third and held a 39-28 lead when UVU went on an 8-0 run to get within three, 39-36, with 2:08 in the quarter. Tausinga started the run with her third basket of the quarter and then got a steal and fed Mabry for two more. Mabry scored again, giving her seven in the quarter, and Fano capped the spurt on a layup after a Byon steal and a Mabry assist. UVU entered the fourth down 43-38.
 
The Wolverines are now set to host WAC leader Southern Utah on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT in the UCCU Center. That game will be the team's Nickname Night, with the players sporting the new Devil Bears uniforms. It's also the final day of Homecoming Week at UVU with the Wolverine men's team also hosting SUU at 6 p.m. MT.