UVU headed into the their second WAC game of the season, again on the road, Saturday against California State University at Bakersfield. The Wolverines were hoping to get back on track after losing their first conference game on the road at Grand Canyon University on Thursday, but would lose a close one 73-71.
The last time the Wolverines played the Roadrunners on their home court, during February of 2018, they won handily by 23 points.
The height of the game’s action came with the Wolverines trailing with 19 seconds to go, when senior guard Ben Nakwaasah pulled up from the three-point line and drilled the game-tying bucket to put the game at 71-71.
The Wolverines then played solid defense as the Roadrunners looked to get one last shot off to avoid overtime. They missed their initial shot attempt but quickly gathered an offensive rebound and threw up a put back shot that hit the glass and rolled in, to the give the Roadrunners the win at the buzzer.
The Wolverines looked devastated after the shot went in at the buzzer. They trailed at halftime and continued to trail throughout the second half, including being down by 13 points early in the second half. However, they began to respond often, eventually tying it up before the game-winning shot.
The biggest difference in the game though showed up in the stat sheet. The Wolverines led in nearly all categories except for two key ones that may have been the determining factor. They were out-rebounded 31-26, and lost the turnover battle, the Wolverines finishing with 17 compared to the Roadrunners’ nine.
One standout performance from this game came from graduate transfer Connor MacDougall, who led the team in scoring with 14 points off the bench including going a perfect 4-4 from the field. Another was senior Conner Toolson, who had 13 points.
The Wolverines will look to bounce back after an 0-2 start in WAC play at home this Saturday night against Seattle University. They will also look to extend their current 22-game home winning streak as well.
Photo courtesy of: UVU Athletics
