USAFA, Colo. — Utah Valley University opened the 2025 Postseason WNIT with a 70-64 win at Air Force on Friday, making history with the program's first postseason win in its NCAA Division I era. The Wolverines (19-12) also improved on their program-record win total and advanced to the second round at Washington State on Monday at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT in Pullman.

Tahlia White scored 15 to lead UVU, Halle Nelson delivered a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Danja Stafford Collins added 11 rebounds as the Wolverines held a decisive 44-24 edge on the glass. Stafford Collins and Amanda Barcello also scored nine points apiece, Tessa Chaney added eight, and Cambree Blackham dished out six assists as the team finished with 18 assists on 24 made field goals on the night.

Air Force (18-15) got a game-high 20 points from Madison Smith, while Milahnie Perry finished with 17 as the Falcons raced out to an early double-digit lead. Utah Valley outscored Air Force 29-11 in the second quarter and 47-20 overall in the middle quarters en route to the win.

"We knew that they were going to be ready to go, and they got hot early and had a nice crowd," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "I'm proud of our group's resilience, coming back on the road in a place we struggled early in the season, and to get a win against a really good Mountain West opponent."

Air Force took an early lead after hitting its first five attempts from three, leading by as much as 13, 23-10, late in the first. The Falcons led by 11, 28-17, after a three from Keelie O'Hollaren in the second before the Wolverines went on a 30-6 run to end the half and start the third quarter, including a run of 17 straight in the second. 

Amanda Barcello scored and was fouled, completing the 3-point play to start what eventually became the 30-6 spurt. Within that run, the Wolverines scored 17 straight points with both White and Stafford Collins burying 3-pointers. That flipped an 11-point deficit into a 41-34 lead at the break.Nelson had 10 at the half to lead UVU with 16 of its 22 first-half points in the paint in the second.

The run continued out of the break with Barcello knocking down a corner three to begin the half. Stafford Collins scored down low and White hit another triple to give Utah Valley a 49-34 lead. Utah Valley led by as much as 16, after Chaney got a bucket down low on a Blackham assist, ending the third with a 59-43 lead.

In the fourth, Utah Valley kept the lead in double digits despite a drought from the field. Air Force didn't get it below 10 until the 1:37 mark at 69-60 and ran out of time in its attempt to come back.

Nelson's double-double was her fourth of the season as she finished one rebound shy of her career high. 

"It's amazing to be a part of a program that has had a lot of 'firsts' with these girls and the coaching staff," Nelson said. "We're building something special here and we're proving it."

Monday's game will mark just the second time that Utah Valley and Washington State will meet, with the first coming all the way back in UVU's first exploratory season in its transition from junior college to NCAA DI. The Cougars won that game, on Dec. 6, 2003, 56-49.

"They're big, they're long, they're very athletic, and they're very well coached up there," Nielson said of the current Washington State squad. "We're going to have our hands full, but this is going to be like an odyssey for us. We're going trains, planes, and automobiles. We're still playing, and that's the thing I love about this team is they're really connected and don't want it to end. And so if we can keep finding the way to keep playing, that's what we're going to do."