Utah Tech put a valiant effort, but came up on the short end of a tough 55-52 home decision to in-state foe Utah Valley in an Old Hammer Rivalry thriller on Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.

How it happened 
Playing shorthanded without injured fifth-year point guard Breaunna Gillen, Utah Tech (9-9/3-4 WAC) struggled out of the gate offensively. The Trailblazers misfired on 17 of their first 20 shots (2-of-14 3FG), and committed six early turnovers, and found themselves trailing 21-9 with seven minutes to play in the first half.
 
The Blazers finally found the touch thanks to consecutive 3-pointers from Maddie Warren and Alyson Deaver, which spurred a 16-6 Utah Tech rally to close the gap and make it a one-possession UVU lead, 27-24, at the halftime break.
 
Down 32-26 two minutes into the third quarter, the Utah Tech offense caught fire from the perimeter again, this time with three-straight perimeter jumpers as part of an 11-0 run that erased the deficit gave the Blazers their first lead of the day at 37-32 with 3:34 to go in the frame.
 
Warren kick-started the run with her third 3-pointer of the game, while Catelyn Deaver and twin sister Alyson Deaver both hit from downtown, with the latter's trey putting the Blazers on top. Nicole Willardson then followed with a bucket in the low block to make a two-possession cushion.
 
However Utah Valley (7-10/2-6 WAC) answered that run with one of its own, outscoring the Trailblazers 10-2 over the final three-plus minutes of the frame to reclaim its three-point lead, 42-39.
 
Catelyn Deaver helped her side regain the advantage by scoring Utah Tech's first six points of the final period, including a conventional three-point play that put the Blazers back up by one, 45-44, with 6:29 to play.
 
The Wolverines countered that with a 9-2 spurt to go up six at 53-47 with 2:12 left.
 
Catelyn Deaver cut the UVU lead in half on Utah Tech's ensuing possession, and Alyson Deaver knocked down two free throws to pull the Trailblazers to within one at 53-52 with 1:24 remaining.
 
Both sides then traded scoreless possessions, though Utah Tech had the ball with a chance to win the game with 15 seconds on the clock. Unfortunately for the home side, the UVU defense came up with the crucial stop and forced a costly Blazer turnover with eight seconds to go.
 
The Trailblazers, who had three fouls to give to put UVU in the penalty, finally got the Wolverines to the foul line with 1.5 second to go. Tahlia White would convert on both free throw attempts, and Warren's desperation heave at the horn missed the mark as UVU escaped with the Old Hammer Rivalry win. 
                                                           
Numbers to know
Warren led all scorers with 16 points, though she was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. The redshirt sophomore guard also added five rebounds, three assists and two steals to her final stat column.
 
Catelyn Deaver finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three 3-pointers, and pulled down a pair of rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. 
 
Meanwhile, Alyson Deaver chipped in eight points with a career-best two made 3-pointers and tallied six rebounds in her first collegiate start. 
 
Utah Tech wound up shooting 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the floor, which included a 10-of-35 clip (.286) from 3-point country.
 
Jenna Dick paced two Wolverines in double figures with 15 points off the bench. UVU connected on 20-of-56 (.357) from the floor, 8-of-28 (.286) from beyond the arc, and outrebounded Utah Tech by a 37-33 count. 
 
Up next
Utah Tech continues its four-game homestand this upcoming Thursday night against Abilene Christian. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 7 p.m. (MST).