ST. GEORGE, Utah — Tahlia White scored 16 of her 18 points in the opening half and Danja Stafford Collins added a double-double as Utah Valley University picked up a WAC road win at in-state rival Utah Tech University, 62-46, on Saturday at Burns Arena.
 
Stafford Collins totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds, while White also dished out five assists and had three steals. The Wolverines' (11-6, 3-2) defensive pressure and work on the offensive glass helped lead to 25 more field goal attempts than the Trailblazers (5-12, 1-3). Utah Valley finished with 13 steals, scored 20 points off the turnovers, and had 19 offensive boards that led to 13 second-chance points. Utah Tech finished with 25 turnovers while the Wolverines were limited to 13.
 
"I loved how we started. Even though we missed some shots, we were able to set the defensive tone early. When they made a run, we called time out, adjusted, and got right back to it, which I think is good growth on our part, defensively," said head coach Dan Nielson. "It was a great team effort. It's always good to get a road win, especially in an in-state game in conference play."
 
White hit a pair of early 3-pointers with the Wolverines making three in the opening quarter. The third came from Stafford Collins, which started a quick 7-0 spurt that gave UVU a 15-10 lead. Halle Nelson had back-to-back baskets on a layup and a jumper to cap the run. Utah Valley led 15-12 after one.
 
White had six in the opening quarter and followed that up with 10 in the second. She scored eight of her second-quarter points during an early 12-0 run that gave the Wolverines a 29-14 lead. Emily Isaacson got the Trailblazers back in the game as she hit four 3-pointers over the final 4:05 of the half—five total in the half. She hit two, followed by a three from Brie Crittendon that saw Utah Tech whittle the UVU lead to seven, 31-24.
 
Isaacson's fourth triple of the half cut it to six, 33-27, before the Wolverines quickly stretched it back to 12 with six straight points. Isaacson led all scorers with 17 at the break while White had 16 to lead UVU.
 
Both teams went cold in the third quarter, with only 12 points scored combined between the two teams. Utah Valley scored the first nine points, holding the Trailblazers scoreless until a pair of free throws from Crittendon with 2:21 left. Utah Tech finished with just three points in the quarter, missing all eight attempts from the field. The Wolverines had seven offensive rebounds and forced eight turnovers to help limit UTU's attempts and build a 49-33 lead after three quarters.
 
Barcello buried a three early in the fourth to stretch the lead to 19, matching the team's biggest lead of the game, as Utah Valley didn't allow the lead to get any lower than 13 the rest of the way. Barcello finished with 10 points for the Wolverines, with Nelson adding six points and seven rebounds. 
 
For the game, the Wolverines shot 31.3% (20-for-64) while the Trailblazers were 12-for-39 (30.8%). Isaacson led all scorers with 19, but just two of those points came after halftime. The game was part of the Old Hammer Rivalry between the former junior college foes turned NCAA Division conference rivals. 
 
Next week, Utah Valley will play two home games in WAC play. The Wolverines host California Baptist on Thursday before taking on Seattle U next Saturday.