Utah Valley basketball: Late 3-pointer from Tarleton State hands the Wolverines a 60-57 loss
Courtesy UVU Athletics
Utah Valley's Amanda Barcello (3) takes a 3-pointer against Tarleton State at the UCCU Center on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.A clutch 3-point bucket made by Tarleton State with just 30 seconds remaining loomed large in handing the Utah Valley women’s basketball team a tough 60-57 loss in the quarterfinal round of the WAC tournament on Thursday.
Texan guard Kyriana Jones hit a corner 3-pointer to give her team a 58-57 lead late in what proved her lone attempt from behind the arc all game long. Her timing couldn’t have been worse for UVU, who failed to convert on the ensuing possession, forcing it into an intentional-fouling situation.
Tarleton State converted on its two free throws late, forcing Utah Valley to force a 3-pointer at the buzzer which came up short and ended the Wolverine’s WAC tournament hopes.
The loss to Tarleton State proved to be the first one taken by the Wolverines this season after sweeping all three games played during the regular season. The fourth matchup appeared to be following the form of previous games with Utah Valley leading for most of the game up until late in the fourth quarter when the Texans took their first since the first quarter at 49-48 with just under seven minutes remaining.
Leading the way for the Texans was Elodie Lutbert, who scored a team-high 15 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Lutbert was also the player who hit two clutch free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining, forcing the Wolverines into a tough situation in order to send the game to overtime.
The Wolverines were led by Kaylee Headrick who scored a game-high 17 points while adding seven rebounds and four steals. Amanda Barcello added 15 points and a game-high five steals while leading her team’s defensive effort.
Overall the Wolverines had 12 steals and forced 17 Texan turnovers to fuel their play throughout both the second and third quarters, which saw Utah Valley lead by as many as 11 points.
After trailing 7-0 early Utah Valley rebounded to take a 15-14 lead after the first quarter and extended that lead to 32-25 at the half. The teams battled back and forth throughout the third quarter, which ended with Utah Valley maintaining a solid lead at 46-40. That lead disappeared quickly, however, as Tarleton State forged a strong run during the first few minutes of the fourth quarter to take an aforementioned lead at 49-48 with just under seven minutes and remaining.
With the loss Utah Valley ends the season with a 16-14 overall record and 9-9 mark in WAC Conference play.
