OREM, Utah – Utah Valley defeated Weber State 59-55 on Thursday night inside the UCCU Center. UVU (5-1) was led by a season-high 17 points from Cambree Blackham, who also tied a school record with eight steals. While the UVU defense stepped up and forced 27 WSU (2-3) turnovers, the game came down to the Wolverines going 22-for-26 from the line.
 
Tessa Chaney finished with 15 points and went 7-for-8 at the line, recording a season high in points. Saige Gibb scored nine, also a season high.
 
"I'm really proud of our team for finding a way to win an ugly game," UVU head coach Dan Nielson said. "I thought our defense was really solid after the first few minutes, and our improvement at the free-throw line was able to seal the win. Credit to Weber for a great game plan and a tough, physical game."
 
Weber State opened the game on a 9-2 run to take an early 11-2 lead, but the Wolverines quickly started to cut into the deficit, starting with a Blackham jumper before Chaney added a jumper in the paint to make it 11-6. Following a pair of Kylee Mabry free throws, Utah Valley made it 11-8, but the Wildcats took a 15-10 lead after the first quarter.
 
The Wolverines tied the game in the second quarter with a 5-0 run to open the period, led by Chaney, who hit a jumper and then made two free throws to tie it with 7:47 left before halftime. Utah Valley took its first lead when Gibb made a layup to put UVU up 19-17. She later added two free throws and a key 3-pointer to extend the lead to 26-22. Weber State's Hannah Robbins hit a pair of 3s before halftime to help the Wildcats regain the lead at the break.
 
Weber State opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets by Antoniette Emma-Nnopu, who finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, building a 34-29 lead. Blackham again started to chip away, hitting two free throws to make it a three-point game. She later added a jumper to cut the WSU lead to 34-33, setting up Nelson, who put UVU back in front with a 3-pointer to make it 36-34. She extended the lead to 38-34 with a layup, but the Wildcats took a 43-41 advantage into the fourth after Gibb scored with two seconds left in the period.
 
Utah Valley opened the fourth with a layup by Kaylee Headrick to tie the game at 43, followed by another layup to spark an 11-0 run that put UVU up 52-43 with just over five minutes left. Chaney hit back-to-back shots, and Blackham added a key 3-pointer.
 
Emma-Nnopu and the Wildcats kept pushing, and after a free throw, cut the UVU lead to 54-53 with 3:06 remaining. The Wolverines extended the lead when Mabry hit two free throws to make it 56-53. In the closing minutes, Utah Valley sealed the game with free throws from Mabry and Chaney, stretching the lead to 58-55. A final free throw from Blackham secured the 59-55 victory.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will travel to Nevada on Monday, Nov. 24, for a matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT from the Lawlor Events Center. The game will air on the Mountain West Network. The Wolfpack are 2-2 this season and will host Alabama A&M on Friday,