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Las Vegas • Utah Valley University lost a four-point lead in overtime, missing an opportunity for an upset in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament.
No. 2-seeded Cal State Bakersfield escaped with a 65-63 victory late Wednesday night at the Orleans Arena.
Sam Loggins, UVU's 6-foot-5 sophomore center, scored a career-high 28 points and Rhaiah Spooner-Knight added 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Wolverines, who finished their first season of WAC membership with a 7-23 overall record.
Bakersfield will meet No. 3 seed Seattle in Friday's semifinals.
Dajy Vines' layup with 1:53 remaining in regulation pulled Bakersfield into a 55-55 tie.
In overtime, the Wolverines took a 59-55 lead on baskets by Spooner-Knight and Whitney Jenkins, but Bakersfield went ahead 61-60 on Tyonna Outland's shot with 37.6 seconds left and maintained the lead with free throws.
The Wolverines actually finished eighth in the conference, but received the No. 7 seed for the tournament because third-place Grand Canyon was ineligible as a transitional Division I member.
Loggins, who was averaging 8.4 points, scored 14 in the first half. UVU held a 28-21 lead with 3:53 remaining in the half, but went scoreless the rest of the way and Bakersfield tied the game.
In the second half, the Wolverines took a 36-30 lead before Bakersfield responded with eight straight points, and the game went back and forth.