Orem, Utah -- Junior Amber Hegge recorded her sixth double-double of the season and freshman Katelyn Edwards sparked a second-half surge with three 3-pointers to help the South Dakota women's basketball team record a 53-42 win over Utah Valley in Great West Conference action Thursday night in Orem, Utah. The Coyotes (15-10, 6-2 GWC) won for the sixth time in seventh games while ending Utah Valley's three-game winning streak.

Hegge (Crofton, Neb.) finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Edwards (Crete, Neb.) finished with nine points, all in the second half. Sophomore guard Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.) added seven points and four assists, while junior center Jodie Boss (Columbus, Neb.) had seven rebounds and four blocks.

While eight of the nine Coyote players who saw time scored - it was South Dakota's defense that was the difference. The Coyotes held Utah Valley to just 27 points over the final 31:17 of the game, and to just 20 percent shooting in the second half.

Down by one at halftime, the Coyotes regained the lead early (26-25) in the second half for the first time since it was 2-0 early in the game when junior guard Annie Roche (Vermillion, S.D.) converted a layup with 17:39 left. That was part of the Coyotes' decisive 16-4 run over the first 12:15 of the second half, which included a pair of three-pointers by Edwards and a three by Hegge, which pushed the Coyote lead to 40-29 with 7:45 left.

"We made some plays in that second half," South Dakota head coach Ryun Wiliams said. "Edwards hit three really big threes. Defensively, our kids guarded with some toughness."

After that stretch, Utah Valley (5-19, 3-6 GWC) got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

The Coyotes were down 15-4 with 11:17 left in the first half but closed the half on a 20-10 run to cut the lead to 25-24 by halftime. A three-pointer by sophomore Sam Mehr (Apple Valley, Minn.) sparked the run, which also included threes by Roche, sophomore Tempestt Wilson (Elk River, Minn.) and Yackley.

South Dakota was down only one at halftime despite shooting only 34.6 percent from the field. However, the Coyotes' defense - their staple throughout the season - held Utah Valley to 33.3 percent shooting. Wilson and Hegge led the Coyotes with six points each in the opening half.

The Coyotes shot 34 percent (17-of-50) for the game, compared to 25.9 percent (14-of-54) for Utah Valley. South Dakota had a slight 41-40 edge in rebounds.

Freshman post Stacia Robertson (Grand Island, Neb.) added five points and five rebounds off the bench.

South Dakota returns home for its final homestand of 2010-11 on Thursday, Feb. 24 when it plays host to the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Game time is 6 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.