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State colleges: UVU ousted from the WAC women’s tournament with a 78-75 loss to UMKC

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Valley University women's coach Cathy Nixon addresses the crowd during the ground breaking. Utah Valley University celebrated the construction of a new $3.5 million NUVI Basketball Center,a conditioning facility for men's and women's basketball teams during a groundbreaking ceremony for Wednesday, June 22, 2016, on the south side of the UCCU Center.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Valley University women's coach Cathy Nixon addresses the crowd during the ground breaking. Utah Valley University celebrated the construction of a new $3.5 million NUVI Basketball Center,a conditioning facility for men's and women's basketball teams during a groundbreaking ceremony for Wednesday, June 22, 2016, on the south side of the UCCU Center.

By Staff and wire
  | March 14, 2019, 12:05 a.m.
| Updated: 5:34 a.m.

Las Vegas • Utah Valley’s trouble with Missouri-Kansas City’s press to begin the fourth quarter doomed the Wolverines to a 78-75 loss Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament at Orleans Arena.

Junior guard Alexis Cortez scored a career-high 22 points for No. 5 seed UVU (14-16), which was picked to finish last in the WAC by the league’s coaches. “We’re not going away, because we don’t have any seniors,” said UVU coach Cathy Nixon. “We’ll just use this day as fuel for next year.”

The Wolverines trailed by 11 points in the first half, but rallied and held a couple of brief leads in the third quarter. UMKC's defense-driven, 12-0 run early in the fourth period resulted in a 65-52 lead. The Wolverines got within three points in the last minute, before guard Ericka Mattingly hit a 3-pointer for the Roos (16-14), who had beaten UVU 97-64 three weeks ago in Kansas City. Mattingly finished with 27 points.

UVU is 2-4 in quarterfinal games in the program's WAC history.

UMKC will play No. 1 seed New Mexico State in Friday’s semifinals. NMSU’s roster includes seniors Dominique and Monique Mills, twins from Juan Diego Catholic High School. Each sister scored six points in the Aggies’ 90-54 quarterfinal win over Chicago State.

Men’s basketball

Southern Utah 94, Idaho State 80 • In Boise, Idaho, Andre Adams matched his career high with 23 points as Southern Utah topped Idaho State in the first round of the Big Sky Conference tournament on Wednesday.

Brandon Better had 17 points for Southern Utah (15-15). Jacob Calloway added 15 points. Harrison Butler had 13 points for Southern Utah.

Alonzo Walker had 17 points for the Bengals (11-19). Sam Dowd added 12 points. Jared Stutzman had 10 points.

By Staff and wire