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Las Vegas • Utah Valley hoped better health would help the Wolverines rise above their No. 6 seed in the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament.
The return of center Sam Lubcke and guard Mariah Seals made a big impact for UVU in Wednesday night's quarterfinal game vs. Cal State Bakersfield — and teammate Taylor Gordon provided extra help as the Wolverines rallied to force overtime.
UVU's defense then completed a 59-53 upset of the No. 3 Roadrunners, who produced only one free throw in overtime. The Wolverines advanced to Friday's semifinals vs. No. 2 Seattle, a 78-60 winner over No. 7 Chicago State.
Seals finished with 22 points and Lubcke scored all of her 19 points in the first three quarters. Lubcke added 10 rebounds, with seven offensive boards giving her UVU's season record in that category.
Gordon scored the last four points in regulation, after making 1 of 9 shots from the field to that point. She hit a jump shot and then made two free throws after being fouled on a drive with 6.8 seconds left.
Jordan Holland's rebound basket sent UVU (9-21) ahead to stay in overtime as Bakersfield missed all eight of its shots in the period. Erika Williams led the Roadrunners (15-14) with 21 points.
Due to injuries, Lubcke and Seals missed UVU's 55-39 loss to the Roadrunners in February. With those two players in the lineup, the Wolverines took Bakersfield to overtime before losing 63-59 in Orem in January. Lubcke missed four games before coming back last weekend in a 65-55 loss at Seattle.
Lubcke and Seals combined for 24 of UVU's 28 points in the first half, which ended in a 28-all tie. The Wolverines could have extended their lead to seven points in the late stages of the half, but Gordon missed two free throws and Bakersfield scored the final five points.
In the third quarter, Lubcke and Seals scored four points each, accounting for UVU's total production, as Bakersfield took a 41-36 lead. Seals scored seven points in the fourth quarter as UVU stayed in the game.
The Wolverines had earned the program's first WAC tournament victory last March, beating Missouri-Kansas City in the quarterfinals before losing to New Mexico State.