LAS VEGAS – Friday, March 14, No. 1 Utah Valley defeated No. 5 Seattle U 68-55, solidifying its spot in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship.
Utah Valley continues to show their pure dominance, securing its 10th straight win and 20th victory in their last 21 games.
“I thought the big difference in this game was getting stops defensively,” head coach Todd Phillips said. “Just really proud of the guys who stepped up tonight.”
The Wolverines held Seattle U to just 36.4% (20-of-55) shooting and dominated down low with a 38-26 rebounding advantage, outscoring them 34-31 in the paint.
UVU found most of their production from top scores Tanner Toolson and Carter Welling as they combined for 35 points while grabbing 14 of the Wolverines’ 30 rebounds.
“I just wanted to do everything I could to help our team win,” Toolson said. “I was flying around, playing well and I’m just excited for the challenge tomorrow.”
Toolson led all scorers with 18 on 7-of-10 shooting, while Welling finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
“I think it’s important we just take each game at a time,” Welling added. “We feel that we’re a special group and mesh well together and doing something that no Utah Valley team has ever done is special.”
Seven other Wolverines were in the scoring column as key facilitator, Treven Leonhardt adding eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Corey Wells and Ethan Potter helped contribute, combining for 10 of the 17 points off the bench.
Utah Valley shot the ball at a 48.9% clip (23-of-47) and also got it done at the free-throw line, hitting 17 of 20 attempts.
1st Half
Toolson got the Wolverines off to a quick 5-0 start after going to the rack for two, followed by three points at the charity stripe, but a 6-0 spurt from Seattle U put them ahead 6-5 five minutes into the game.
Toolson ended Utah Valley’s five-minute scoring drought after intercepting a pass at the top of the key and going behind the back for a slam dunk on the other end, helping the Wolverines retake a 9-6 lead.
Utah Valley added upon the lead some more after both Jackson Holcombe and Kylin Green provided a key 5-0 run to take a 16-10 lead midway through the first.
Both teams traded shots over the next five minutes, but Utah Valley struggled taking care of the ball in the first half, committing 10 turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, allowing Seattle U to capitalize.
However, the Wolverines finished strong, outscoring the Redhawks 14-4 in the final minutes. This was capped off by a corner three-pointer from Toolson and an acrobatic layup, giving Utah Valley a 10-point advantage at the break, 34-24.
2nd Half
Leonhardt opened the half by knocking down a triple directly in front of the Wolverine bench, as the crowd erupted. Seattle U responded quickly, matching buckets with Utah Valley over the first five minutes.
Utah Valley continued to cling to their 10-point lead throughout next four minutes of the half
until the Redhawks cut it to six after back-to-back buckets halfway through the half, 49-43.
“We had chances in the second half to cut it to a two-possession game, but we didn’t make the plays, Utah Valley did,” head coach Chris Victor for Seattle U said. “They’re a solid team, and they step up in big moments.”
The Wolverines finished strong, outscoring the Redhawks 9-2 to close it out, coming away with a 68-55 victory.
The Wolverines will now face No. 2 Grand Canyon in the championship game, set for Saturday at 9:40 p.m. MT.
A win on Saturday night would give the Wolverines an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which has never been accomplished by any team in Utah Valley history.
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
