ABILENE, Texas — Utah Valley University dropped a Thursday night contest to Abilene Christian University, 70-50, at Moody Coliseum. ACU (17-6, 8-2) had two players score more than 20 points, led by Payton Hull with 28, while Erin Woodson added 24. UVU (10-11, 3-7) was led by Kylee Mabry and Saige Gibb, who scored nine points apiece, with Gracie Sorenson adding eight off the bench.
 
Utah Valley shot better than 50% in the first quarter, including an early 8-2 run over 1:53, to take its first lead after Kaylee Headrick drained a 3-pointer and Gibb hit a driving floater to make it 5-4. The Wolverines regained the lead when Amanda Barcello found space in the corner after an inbound pass and buried a 3-pointer to put UVU ahead 8-6 with under six minutes left in the first quarter. After the teams traded baskets, Gibb banked in a 3-pointer to give UVU a 16-15 edge while adding a pair of blocks defensively in the opening stanza.
 
Barcello opened the second quarter with a driving pull-up off the glass before earning a trip to the free-throw line on the next possession to push the Wolverine lead to 19-17 with 8:31 left in the first half. Abilene Christian responded with an 11-0 run and closed the half with a 45-26 advantage, shooting 59% in the first half and 78.6% in the second quarter while outscoring UVU 28-10 in the period.
 
The Wolverines managed only six shot attempts in the third quarter, with Gibb knocking down a 3-pointer and Sorenson scoring four points in the paint over three minutes of action as ACU went on a 12-0 run to extend its lead. 
 
Sorenson opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a hook shot from the middle of the key for her sixth point of the night. The UVU bench helped close the game on a 14-0 run that began with a pair of 3-pointers from Mabry before Sorenson tied a season high with eight points on a layup. Anna Shreeve scored a pair of contested layups late to tie her career high for points against a Division I opponent.
 
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will wrap up the road trip at UT Arlington on Saturday, Feb. 7, with a noon MT tip from College Park Center. UVU will renew the Old Hammer Rivalry next week when it hosts Utah Tech on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. MT inside Lockhart Arena.