ST. GEORGE – Freshman Shanae Vaifanua (Hurricane, UT/Hurricane) scored a career-high 24 points to pace Dixie State College of Utah in Friday night's 99-98 victory over Western New Mexico University at the Burns Center.

Vaifanua hit seven of 10 shots from the floor and benefited from 14 trips to the free-throw line. missing only four times. She corralled six rebounds. five off the offensive glass.

Dixie State improved to 3-4 on the season while WNM (2-4) dropped its fourth straight.

Four other Dixie players tallied double-digits –Lindsey Chettinger (Sergeant Bluff. IA/Sergeant Bluff) had 18. Courtney Boyd (Keokuk. IA/Keokuk) had 13. Jessie Ingraham (Tuscon. AZ/Canyon Del Oro) posted 12 and Tanya Clark (Beaumont. CA/Beaumont) finished with 10. The DSC starting five scored 77 of Dixie's 99 points.

Western New Mexico had five players in double figures led by junior forward Audra Major with a game-high 26 points.

DSC's offense sparked early thanks to a couple of Vaifanua lay-ups. Dixie's biggest lead topped at six with 13:45 left in the first half.

WNM scrapped back over the next nine minutes to overtake Dixie building a seven-point lead. Over the last five minutes of the half. Western New Mexico maintained defensive pressure and went into the locker room up by eight. 49-41.

The Mustangs' biggest lead came 20 seconds into the second half at 11.  Over the next seven minutes. Dixie State erased the lead thanks to an 11-0 run.

The final 10 minutes of the game saw multiple lead changes and small scoring spurts from both squads. WNM held its final advantage at 91-90 with 2:35 to play.

Dixie did not make a field goal over the final 1:35. but used clutch free-throws to ice the single-point victory.

DSC shot 52 percent (18-34) in the second half and 47 percent overall (29-61). Western New Mexico had almost identical 48 percent (19-39. 18-37) shooting halves. WNM out-rebounded Dixie 45-34.

Dixie State returns to action Saturday night at 5:00pm against Mesa State (CO) College.

Join John Potter for all of the live action. tip to buzzer. on DixieAtheltics.com beginning at 4:45pm.