The Utah Valley University men’s basketball team (21-7, 12-3 Western Athletic Conference) was routed 77-58 by the Tarleton State University Texans (15-14, 19-8 WAC) on Thursday evening at the Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas.
After a slow start offensively, the Wolverines were unable to recover and get back in the game as the Texans cruised their way to victory. The Wolverines were able to get back within 11 points late in the second half, but TSU ultimately held off UVU to win 77-58.
Despite the loss, the Wolverines are still the No. 1 seed in the WAC Standings.
The Wolverines had four scorers in double digits with Aziz Bandaogo and Le’Tre Darthard tying for a team-high 11 points while Justin Harmon and Trey Woodbury had 10 points each. Bandaogo had five blocks and seven rebounds and Woodbury added eight boards.
UVU shot 31.8% from the field, 22.2% from the three-point line, and 83.9% in free throw percentage (making 26 out of 31 attempts).
Turnovers also hurt the Wolverines as the Texans scored 22 points off forced turnovers.
The Texans opened the first half with an 8-4 lead with 15:57 remaining in the half; Darthard accounted for all four of the Wolverines’ points via free throws. TSU then proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to jump out to a 15-6 lead over UVU with 11:40 remaining.
The Wolverines then began to chip their way back into the game over the next seven minutes, including scoring nine points off free throws (six of which from Bandaogo), to cut the Texans’ lead down to 22-17 with 4:29 remaining in the half.
However, TSU would regain momentum to close out the half, going on a 13-3 run to go up 35-20 heading into the locker room.
The Wolverines had a tough finish to the half from the field, ending with a 10:32 field goal drought.
UVU opened the second half with a 6-3 run, with four points coming from Woodbury, to cut the deficit back down to 38-26 with 17:51 remaining. However, TSU erupted for another run in response, quickly scoring seven unanswered points to give the Texans a 45-26 advantage over the Wolverines with 16:54 remaining.
Darthard and Harmon combined for a 5-0 Wolverines’ run to trim the lead back down to 45-31; however, the Texans responded with an 11-4 run to give themselves their largest lead of the night in a 56-35 edge over UVU with 10:12 remaining in regulation.
Despite the triumphant run from TSU, the Wolverines never gave up. UVU, led by six points from Woodbury, went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead down to 58-47 with 6:27 left to play in the second frame.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the Texans yet again responded and outscored the Wolverines 19-11 to close out the game, ending the game with a 77-58 victory.
The Wolverines’ win streak of five games was also snapped by TSU.
The Wolverines now look to bounce back against the Abilene Christian University Wildcats (13-14, 7-9 WAC) on Saturday night at 5 p.m. MT at the Moody Coliseum in Abilene, Texas. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on ESPN 960 AM radio.
