OREM, Utah – Utah Valley defeated Abilene Christian, 69-67, on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. Kylee Mabry led UVU (9-5, 2-1) with a career-high 23 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field and a career-best 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Fellow guard Amanda Barcello added a season-high 23 points, going 8-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-9 from deep.
 
The Wolverines shot a season-best 56% from the field, tying for the 10th-best mark all-time against a Division I opponent. Cambree Blackham finished with eight points, six assists and four steals while playing a career-high 37 minutes.
 
"That was a great game today between two quality teams. I was proud of our team for responding every time they fought back," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson.  "I thought we were aggressive offensively against their pressure, and Amanda and Kylie were able to hit some big shots. ACU is a very good offensive team, and I thought we had some great stretches of forcing them to work for quality shots. I'm excited about the win, and hopefully it helps us build some momentum as we get deeper into the conference."
 
Utah Valley jumped out to an 11-10 lead at the first media timeout of the fast-paced opening quarter. Barcello scored five points in the opening five minutes and finished the quarter with 11. After Abilene Christian took a 14-11 lead, UVU tied the game on a three-point play by Barcello. The Wildcats led 20-17 in the final seconds of the quarter when Natalia Chavez fouled Blackham in the backcourt. Blackham made both free throws to cut the deficit to 20-19.
 
The Wolverines took their first lead at 24-22 when Barcello drained a wing 3 and was fouled, later completing the four-point play. Mabry sparked a second-quarter run with a steal that led to a fast-break layup. She scored 15 of her 23 points in the period, hitting three of her four 3-pointers in the quarter. Meredith Mayes cut the UVU lead to one at 28-27 with 3:21 remaining in the half, but Mabry caught fire, pushing the lead to 10 with three triples to make it 37-27 with 1:08 left. Abilene Christian committed eight turnovers in the second quarter, which Utah Valley converted into 10 points. The Wolverines took a 41-31 lead into halftime.
 
The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to 41-36 with 8:17 left in the third quarter, but back-to-back trips to the free-throw line pushed the lead back to nine, with Blackham and Tessa Chaney each making a pair. Barcello later hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 48-38.
 
Utah Valley knocked down 11 3-pointers in the game, one shy of its season high of 12 set against Pepperdine in November. Barcello connected on her fifth 3 of the game before Mabry added a jumper in the paint. Kaylee Headrick finished with five points and five rebounds, and her layup helped give UVU a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Abilene Christian hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, with Erin Woodson cutting the lead to 65-59 with 4:31 remaining. Mabry answered with a wing 3 in front of the bench to push the lead back to nine. The Wildcats made a late run and pulled within one at 68-67 after Mayes made the first of two free throws with 23 seconds left. The second attempt was missed, and Headrick secured the rebound. Headrick came up with another key rebound in the final seconds after Payton Hull missed the go-ahead jumper with four seconds left. 
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will open a three-game road trip next week with a trip to Southern Utah on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. MT before renewing the Old Hammer Rivalry on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2:00 p.m. MT against Utah Tech.