OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University jumped out to a fast start, but the bid to knock off WAC leaders Grand Canyon came up short, 76-64, in front of 1,313 fans on Saturday afternoon in Lockhart Arena.
 
The Wolverines (13-7, 5-3) had four players reach double figures, led by 14 apiece from Tahlia White and Halle Nelson. Amanda Barcello finished with 12 and Ally Criddle had 10 points but dealt with foul trouble for much of the game. Danja Stafford Collins finished with seven points and 11 rebounds for UVU.
 
Trinity San Antonio led all scorers with 21 points for the Lopes (21-2, 8-0), who ran their winning streak to 19 games with the win. San Antonio also had nine assists and was 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. Tiarra Brown added 16, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas had 13, and Laura Erikstrup scored 10 points as GCU also had four players score in double figures.
 
The teams were nearly even from the floor, with Grand Canyon making 50% (24-for-48) and Utah Valley shooting 23-for-49 (46.9%). The Lopes, however, were 7-for-15 from three and 21-for-26 from the line while the Wolverines hit just 2-for-16 from beyond the arc and 16-for-23 from the line.
 
"I thought we had some good fight, but we have to shoot the ball better from three and have to knock down free throws," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "We got into some foul trouble that affected us too but they're a very good team and you've got to give them credit. They hit shots when they needed to and made the plays when they needed to. Next week is big for us with two very tough games on the road."
 
The Wolverines jumped out to a 9-0 lead to begin the game, capped by a 3-point play from Nelson with a putback after an offensive rebound and a free throw. Criddle scored seven points and Stafford Collins had eight rebounds in the first quarter. A Criddle triple gave UVU an 18-7 lead in the first before the team carried a 20-10 lead after one.
 
The Lopes, after shooting just 3-for-14 in the first quarter, were 8-for-11 and outscored Utah Valley 22-12 in the second to tie the game at the half at 32-32.
 
Grand Canyon took its first lead of the game in the third quarter when Callie Cooper got a steal and layup. The Lopes didn't surrender the lead for the rest of the game after that. San Antonio had nine and Brown scored eight in the third as GCU outscored UVU 25-15 to build a 56-47 lead after three.
 
The Wolverines got within five in the final quarter, but San Antonio scored 10 in the fourth—19 in the second half—and made multiple shots to thwart any UVU comeback attempt.
 
Next week, Utah Valley will travel to Texas to face UT Arlington (Feb. 6) and Tarleton State (Feb. 8).