LAS VEGAS – For the third time in five years, Utah Valley is heading to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) semifinals after a dominant 74-57 victory over Utah Tech.
Tanner Toolson had another elite shooting performance, leading all scorers with 16 points, including a three-pointer from the logo down the stretch.
“I looked at the clock when Trevan had the ball at the top of the key, and it was at about eight or nine seconds,” Toolson said. “I knew he might need an outlet, so I wrapped around, saw two seconds on the clock, and just let it fly. I figured I wouldn’t get yelled at for that one.”
After being awarded WAC Defensive Player of the Year, Carter Welling recorded two key blocks, 10 points and seven rebounds.
“It’s a rivalry game and they’re obviously gonna play us hard for the in-state bragging rights,” Carter said. “We were prepared for that and did what was necessary to come out with the win so credit to the team and coaches for that.”
Despite a shortage of production from leading scorer Dominick Nelson, who finished with just six points on the night, the Wolverines relied on bench production. Kylin Green and Ethan Potter combined for 18 of Utah Valley’s 31 bench points.
Utah Valley shot 46.2% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc as a whole, while holding Utah Tech to just 31.1% overall and 27.3% from deep. The Wolverines outrebounded the Trailblazers 42-31 and outscored them down low 38-24.
The bench continued to dominate as it has all year, out-scoring the Trailblazers 31-8
“Our bench has been helping us all season long,” Toolson said. “Their support was huge tonight, especially when we were trying to stretch the lead.”
After a sluggish start from both sides, Utah Valley found themselves behind 10-6 through five minutes of play. It wasn’t until Green came off the bench to provide a spark with a quick six points, giving UVU a 17-12 advantage midway through the first.
Osiris Grady played a key role for the Wolverines, leading them on an 8-0 run down the stretch of the first half scoring and assisting on six of those points, as Utah Valley jumped out to a 28-17 lead with 3:16 to play.
“Osirus just keeps getting better and better,” head coach Todd Phillips said. “He was super active on the glass tonight, and again, just another guy who’s stepping it up and playing really good right now.”
The Trailblazers managed to cut the lead to single digits before the break, but the Wolverines held on, taking a 31-22 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
Toolson helped the Wolverines get off to a quick start in the second half, converting an and-one six seconds in, which ignited a 7-2 for Utah Valley, taking a commanding 38-24 lead.
Beon Riley helped Utah Tech cut the lead back down to single digits at 38-29, after knocking down a triple off a Wolverine turnover.
Over the next five minutes, Utah Valley struggled to score, managing only a couple of free throws until Potter ended the drought with a tough layup at the rack, scoring eight straight points for the Wolverines. This gave them another double-digit cushion, 47-34 midway through the half.
Despite the Trailblazers pulling with nine, UVU responded with a 10-4 run as Welling threw it down off the alley-oop feed from Nelson.
Utah Valley extended their largest lead of the night, swelling up to as much as 21, putting the finishing touches on Utah Tech with a convincing 74-57 victory.
Utah Valley will advance to the semifinals, awaiting the winner of Abilene Christian and Seattle U, who play Thursday night at 6pm PT.
The semifinals will take place Friday night at The Orleans Arena at 6 p.m PT/7 p.m MT and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
