OREM, Utah -- UND kept its hopes alive for a second Great West Conference title Saturday night with a 74-71 win against Utah Valley.
The win improved UND to 6-2 in the Great West and 11-13 overall. The Sioux are now tied for second in the league with South Dakota. Chicago State leads the league with a 9-0 record, but the Cougars still have to take their road trip to the two Dakota schools.
Allyssa Wall led UND with 12 points. The 6-foot-4 freshman was one of five Sioux players in double figures.
Mallory Youngblut and Charnise Mothershed each scored 11 points while Megan Lauck and Corey Lof each scored 10.
UND led much of the game but had to survive a few tense moments down the stretch after missing a few layups and free throws.
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"I thought we held on and did a nice job of keeping our composure down the stretch," UND coach Gene Roebuck said.
The Sioux shot 48.2 percent from the field and were 6-for-12 on 3-point attempts.
"We were aggressive on defense," Roebuck added. "They're not a bad team. They don't have a real good record but they battle you all the way.
Utah Valley dropped to 3-7 in the league and 5-20 overall. Utah Valley was led by Jenna Johnson's 21 points. Abbie Beutler added 17.
The Wolverines outrebounded UND 41-36 and each team committed 16 turnovers.
"We played a heads-up game," Roebuck said.
The Sioux return home for league games against New Jersey Tech on Saturday. A week from Monday, UND will play Chicago State at home.
UND 74,
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Utah Valley 71
UND 34 40 -- 74
Utah Valley 34 37 -- 71
UND -- Mallory Youngblut 5-9 0-1 11, Corey Lof 3-6 4-6 10, Megan Lauck 2-9 6-6 10, Allyssa Wall 6-11 0-0 12, Carly Rothfusz1-3 0-0 33, Charnay Mothershed 0-0 0-0 0, Charnise Mothershed 5-7 0-0 11, Nicole Smart 2-4 0-0 6, Madi Buck 2-3 2-4 7, Katie Houdek 1-4 2-4 4. Totals 27-56 14-21 74
Utah Valley -- Sammie Jensen 4-12 1-2 9, Kim Bell 2-6 2-2 6, Kaycee Mansfield 2-6 3-3 7, Abbie Beutler 5-10 3-4 17, Jenna Johnson 6-21 6-6 21, Cynde Mason 1-2 0-0 3, Whitney Jenkins 2-6 0-0 4, Tasha Sanborn 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 23-65 17-19 71
3-point-goals -- UND 6-12 (Youngblut 1-2, Lauck 0-1, Rothfusz 1-2, Charnise Mothershed 1-2, Smart 2-3, Buck 1-2), Utah Valley 8-24 (Bell 0-3, Mansfield 0-1, Beutler 4-7, Johnson 3-10, Mason 1-2, Jenkins 0-1); Rebounds -- UND 36 (Buck 7, Lauck 6), Utah Valley 41 (Mansfield 11, Jensen 9); Assists -- UND 19 (Youngblut 7, Lauck 4), Utah Valley 16 (Jensen 5)
