The Wolverines (19-12) also improved on their program-record win total and advanced to the second round at Washington State on Monday at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT in Pullman.

Tahlia White scored 15 to lead UVU, Halle Nelson delivered a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Danja Stafford Collins added 11 rebounds as the Wolverines held a decisive 44-24 edge on the glass. Stafford Collins and Amanda Barcello also scored nine points apiece, Tessa Chaney added eight, and Cambree Blackham dished out six assists as the team finished with 18 assists on 24 made field goals on the night.

Air Force (18-15) got a game-high 20 points from Madison Smith, while Milahnie Perry finished with 17 as the Falcons raced out to an early double-digit lead. Utah Valley outscored Air Force 29-11 in the second quarter and 47-20 overall in the middle quarters en route to the win.

“We knew that they were going to be ready to go, and they got hot early and had a nice crowd,” said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. “I’m proud of our group’s resilience, coming back on the road in a place we struggled early in the season, and to get a win against a really good Mountain West opponent.”

Air Force took an early lead after hitting its first five attempts from three, leading by as much as 13, 23-10, late in the first. The Falcons led by 11, 28-17, after a three from Keelie O’Hollaren in the second before the Wolverines went on a 30-6 run to end the half and start the third quarter, including a run of 17 straight in the second.

Amanda Barcello scored and was fouled, completing the 3-point play to start what eventually became the 30-6 spurt. Within that run, the Wolverines scored 17 straight points with both White and Stafford Collins burying 3-pointers. That flipped an 11-point deficit into a 41-34 lead at the break.Nelson had 10 at the half to lead UVU with 16 of its 22 first-half points in the paint in the second.

The run continued out of the break with Barcello knocking down a corner three to begin the half. Stafford Collins scored down low and White hit another triple to give Utah Valley a 49-34 lead. Utah Valley led by as much as 16, after Chaney got a bucket down low on a Blackham assist, ending the third with a 59-43 lead.

In the fourth, Utah Valley kept the lead in double digits despite a drought from the field. Air Force didn’t get it below 10 until the 1:37 mark at 69-60 and ran out of time in its attempt to come back.

Nelson’s double-double was her fourth of the season as she finished one rebound shy of her career high.

“It’s amazing to be a part of a program that has had a lot of ‘firsts’ with these girls and the coaching staff,” Nelson said. “We’re building something special here and we’re proving it.”

Monday’s game will mark just the second time that Utah Valley and Washington State will meet, with the first coming all the way back in UVU’s first exploratory season in its transition from junior college to NCAA DI. The Cougars won that game, on Dec. 6, 2003, 56-49.

“They’re big, they’re long, they’re very athletic, and they’re very well coached up there,” Nielson said of the current Washington State squad. “We’re going to have our hands full, but this is going to be like an odyssey for us. We’re going trains, planes, and automobiles. We’re still playing, and that’s the thing I love about this team is they’re really connected and don’t want it to end. And so if we can keep finding the way to keep playing, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Hot bats propel UVU softball to big win at Utah Tech

Nine different Wolverines registered a hit — including a four-hit day by Peyton Hall and homers by Emma Haygood and Megan Gibbs — to lead Utah Valley to a resounding 14-0 win in five innings over the Utah Tech Trailblazers in St. George on Saturday afternoon.

The Wolverine bats were hot from the jump, plating four runs in the top of the first and pulling away with a nine-run third inning to take the series finale from the Trailblazers.

“That’s the potential that we can reach every game,” said head coach Cody Thomson. “We’ve worked really hard to get to this point and we’ve just got to be mentally tough and be prepared to do this every game.”

Peyton Hall put up her second four-hit performance in the last seven games, and has hit safely in each of those with a .600 average in that span. Haygood and Gibbs drove in a team-high three, all of which came on their respective homers.

Tatum Hall, Bailey Marvin, and Britney Moreno each drove in two runs apiece, with Marvin’s coming in a pinch-hitting capacity. Trinity Johnston picked up the first hit and RBI of her collegiate career in her first start with a double that was just short of home run distance.

Utah Valley will continue rivalry week with the Crosstown Clash against the BYU Cougars at home on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats at UVUStats.com.

Wolverine baseball splits doubleheader, wins exciting finale at Seattle

Utah Valley split a Saturday twin bill at Triton Field with Seattle University. The Wolverines (14-9, 1-1) won the first game by the mercy rule, 14-4, before the Redhawks (9-13, 1-1) won the nightcap 14-10.

In the rubber match on Sunday, UVU fell behind, rallied to take the lead late, then got the final out of the 10-9 win with Seattle having the tying run in scoring position.

Nate Bach homered twice in the first game on Saturday for UVU, and Mason Strong went 4-for-5 at the plate.

Colton Kennedy picked up the win in his return to his home state after going three innings without allowing a hit and adding four strikeouts. He came in and relieved yesterday’s starter, Corbin Kirk, who tossed the first four yesterday.

In Game 2, the Redhawks built a big lead but Utah Valley responded with a seven-run seventh inning. The Wolverines benefited from the long ball as De Anda hit a three-run shot, and Kevin Parker Jr. added a solo shot to make it 13-10.

It’s the first time a duo has gone back-to-back since Daniel Dickinson and Burke Camper did it last season against UT Arlington.

Seattle U held UVU off the board the rest of the way to get the win.

The Wolverines are now scheduled to head south to Portland for a Monday, Mar. 24, contest against the Pilots.

UVU track sets three school records in outdoor season opener

It was a big weekend for UVU star Quincy Bonds at the Utah Tech Invitational in St. George.

Bonds opened the outdoor season with a school record and first-place finish in the 200-meter race on Friday, then was part of breaking two more school records on Saturday.

Bonds broke the 100-meter hurdle record on Saturday and was on the 4×100 squad that now holds the top spot in the record book. Those performances came a day after she set the 200-meter record on day one of the Utah Tech Invitational.

Ella Hopper, Kali McEuen, and Gabriele Dabb joined Bonds in the 4×100, with the team taking first with a school record time of 45.48 seconds. Bonds’ 100mH record came with a gold finish and in 13.38 seconds.

The Wolverines will host the UVU Collegiate Invitational next Friday, March 28 at Hal Wing Track & Field with the UVU High School Invitational at the track on Saturday.