Photos courtesy of Kyle McDonald
Ogden — After winning six straight games following a season opening loss to BYU, the Utah Valley University women’s basketball team has found themselves in a bit of a funk. Weber State handed the Wolverines their fifth straight loss, 61-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Dee Events Center.
Despite a strong performance from senior center Sam Loggins, the Wolverines fell to the Wildcats and evened their record at 6-6.
UVU fell down 11-4 early in the first quarter before Loggins took over, tearing into the Weber State defense for 16 of the Wolverines’ next 20 points. Loggins finished with 21 points and three rebounds.
The Wolverines led 15-14 after the first, but the second quarter was a game of runs. Utah Valley took a 26-17 lead on an 11-3 run before Weber State responded with a 17-6 run of their own to end the second, resulting in a 34-32 halftime lead for the Wildcats.
The second half was a close battle, with neither team able to take control in a game that included 12 lead changes. Weber State used eight three-point shots and 14 second chance points off of 20 offensive rebounds to win the game despite shooting only 35 percent from the floor compared to UVU’s 46 percent.
Forward Regina Okoye led the Wildcats with a double-double, including a game-high 24 points and was the only Weber State player to score double digits. Okoye also grabbed 11 rebounds. Center Jocelyn Adams recorded 13 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Joining Loggins in double digit scoring for the Wolverines was Rhaiah Spooner-Knight and Mariah Seals, with 14 and 11, respectively. Spooner-Knight also grabbed six rebounds. Seals recorded three assists and two rebounds.
Utah Valley is off until Dec 22, when they will travel to Omaha, Neb. to take on the University of Nebraska at Omaha, tipping off at 1 p.m.
