OREM, Utah — Utah Valley fell to Air Force, 58-50, on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.
Tessa Chaney led UVU (5-3) with her first double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Amanda Barcello added 17 points. Milahnie Perry paced Air Force (5-4) with a game-high 24 points.
The opening quarter was back-and-forth, with Utah Valley taking an early 5-2 lead following a jumper by Barcello and a free throw from
Kylee Mabry. After the Falcons moved in front, 10-8, the Wolverines regained the lead on a layup by
Cambree Blackham before Mabry drained a corner 3-pointer to make it 13-10. The quarter ended with
Naia Tanuvasa's layup with 17 seconds remaining to pull Air Force within 15-12.
Air Force opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 15 before Utah Valley went on a run sparked at the free-throw line. Chaney, Barcello and Gibb each knocked down free throws to push the lead to 23-17 with 6:23 remaining in the half.
Kaylee Headrick extended the advantage to eight with a jumper in the paint to cap the 7-1 run, and Utah Valley carried a 29-25 lead into halftime.
The Falcons started the third quarter strong, building a 35-29 lead behind seven points from Perry. Utah Valley responded over the final seven minutes of the period, beginning with a Barcello 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 35-32. The Wolverines continued to chip away at the line, and following a trip by Chaney, the score stood at 42-37. Chaney added a layup to trim the margin to three, and Utah Valley tied the game at 44-44 on Barcello's 3-pointer on the final possession of the quarter.
Utah Valley took a 46-44 lead to open the fourth quarter on a Mabry layup and went back in front later on a jumper by Barcello with 7:57 remaining. The Wolverines then went scoreless for more than five minutes as Air Force used an 11-0 run to pull away and secure the victory.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will play its final nonconference road game when it travels to Kansas City on Saturday, Dec. 13, for a noon MT tip at the Swinney Center against the Roos. They will return home for La Sierra on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6:00 p.m. MT.
