LAS VEGAS – Despite a historic season, No. 5 Utah Valley fell short to No. 1 Grand Canyon, 84-55, in the semifinals of the WAC tournament.
“Obviously a ton of credit to GCU and their win, there’s a reason why they’re first in our league,” head coach Dan Nielson said. “They’ve done the best job using the resources available to build a really talented team.”
After a total of just 15 wins from the previous two years combined, Utah Valley made history this year, becoming UVU’s first women’s basketball team to surpass 18 wins in a single Division 1 season.
“Utah Valley to me is like a stock you buy cheap, this university and these girls are going places,” Nielson said. “We believe in where we’re going, and hopefully next year we’ll be sitting up here at this podium with nets around our necks.”
Kylee Mabry was the only Wolverine to reach double figures, scoring 16 points along with two rebounds and two assists off the bench.
Danja Stafford Collins and Halle Nelson both finished with eight points each, while also combining for 11 rebounds.
Tahlia White and Amanda Barcello, who combined for 50 in last night’s quarterfinal game, scored 11 tonight as the Wolverines were held to just 37% (17-of-46) from the field and 22.2% (4-of-18) from downtown.
Grand Canyon’s Alyssa Durazo-Frescas, posted a career high 28 points, sending the Antelopes to the championship game for the third time in five years.
“I owe it all to my teammates who got me the ball when I was open,” Durazo-Frescas said. “It’s nice to hit those shots but it’s also nice when we lock down and defend like we did today.”
Grand Canyon finished the night shooting the rock at a whopping 61.8% clip, knocking down 34 of their 55 shots.
1st Quarter
GCU got off to a quick start by scoring on its first three field goals, but back-to-back triples from Barcello and Stafford Collins helped the Wolverines tie it up at seven apiece with 7:05 to play.
The Lopes continued to attack, going on a quick 5-0 burst to take a 12-7 lead at the midway point of the first.
After a two minute scoring drought from both teams, Durazo-Frescas led Grand Canyon on a 7-3 run to end the quarter after knocking down her second three-pointer of the game.
2nd Quarter
GCU opened the second quarter on a 5-0 spurt by forcing consecutive turnovers, taking a commanding 14-point lead, 24-10.
Utah Valley responded by switching things up to a zone defense, forcing a couple turnovers themselves and sparking a 10-2 run to cut it to 26-20 with 4:58 to play in the first half.
Utah Valley managed to cut the lead down to three, but Durazo-Frescas did not cool off, downing two more triples. The Antelopes outscored the Wolverines 8-5 to close the half, sending Utah Valley to the locker room nursing a 34-28 deficit.
3rd Quarter
Grand Canyon pushed its lead to double-digits to open the half after a 10-2 run, swelling the lead to 44-30 with 5:50 left in the quarter.
Over the next two minutes of play, the Antelopes increased their lead to as much as 20, continuing to pour it on from downtown.
Grand Canyon didn’t hold back, adding upon the lead, as they closed the quarter on a 10-3 run, pushing the score at 64-37 to end the third quarter.
4th Quarter
The Antelopes continued to apply pressure defensively, which turned into points on the other end as the lead climbed up to a high of 31.
Despite a mountain of a deficit to come back from, Utah Valley continued to give it their all, fighting back from 29 but ultimately falling to GCU 84-55.
What’s next
For seniors White, Stafford Collins and Ally Criddle, this was their final game playing in a Utah Valley jersey.
“I’ve never felt this close to a team,” Stafford Collins said. “They welcomed me with open arms, and I’m very grateful I got to be part of this historic season.”
The Wolverines look to build upon another fantastic year with a bright future to come as much of the top production will most likely be returning to play for Utah Valley.
