Head coach Cathy Nixon referred to UVU as “lucky.” She said they were “outplayed and very immature.”
“Give all credit to [La Verne] tonight. They came to play.”
As lucky and immature as they may have been, the UVU women’s basketball team was also victorious on Thursday, Nov 8. UVU defeated the University of La Verne 86-79 in a game which saw them lead by as much as 10 points.
Freshman Eve Brasis led the way for the Wolverines, scoring 18 points as well as pulling down 7 rebounds in just her second collegiate game. Not only did she score, but she did it at an efficient pace, shooting 8-13 from the field.
Despite Brasis’ great performance, as well as solid support around her, the Wolverines were unable to pull away from La Verne until the very last minutes. Late in the third quarter, UVU saw a seven-point lead turn into a one point deficit, as the Leopards capitalized on some sloppy play and outscored the Wolverines 10-2 in the span of a few minutes.
Junior Monica Silva led the charge all night for La Verne. The Wolverines had no answer for her on the defensive end of the court as she went off for a game-high 31 points. More impressive than just the amount of points scored, however, was the way she came by those points. Silva made 11 of her 18 shots, and also hit 9 of her 13 free throws. Silva commanded the paint by grabbing 12 rebounds to compliment the offensive outburst.
Unfortunately for Silva, her teammates were unable to support her hot shooting. The Leopards collectively were held to 36% shooting on all field goals, a number that would prove costly in not allowing them to take over the game down the stretch.
The Wolverines, on the other hand, flipped that good perimeter defense into a shooting performance that left Coach Nixon a happy camper. UVU shot 52% from the field, 40% from behind the three-point line, and 86% on free throws.
Speaking of her team’s offensive production and ability to create quality scoring chances on offense, Coach Nixon said, “It was huge. Really huge. We’re actually a team that can really produce points on the offensive end. I don’t worry one bit about us being able to score the ball. We have a great inside game that can compliment the shooters on the outside.”
One of said shooters was Emma Jones, a freshman guard from Richfield, Utah. Jones was a spark plug and a difference-maker in the second half, where she shot 3-4 on her threes on her way to 13 total points. More important than the shots themselves was the timing of her buckets. Every time it seemed La Verne would get over the hump and take the lead, Jones would counter with a trey of her own and kept the Leopards at bay.
UVU will look to build on the balanced offensive performance and remain unbeaten when they take on the University of Portland on Nov. 10 at home.
Photo courtesy of: UVU Athletics
