After a strong start, Utah Valley built an early lead, the University of San Francisco used a big run at the end of the first half and the start of the second half to take a 69-64 win over the Wolverines.
Jabir Jinna who scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, led Utah Vally (3-3). Jordan Brady scored 12 and pulled down nine rebounds.
USF (3-3) was led by Manny Quezada who scored 26.
"We fought and we battled but it wasn’t enough," Utah Valley coach Dick Hunsaker said. "San Francisco was the aggressive team and made more plays than us tonight."
Quezada scored five of the Dons’s first eight points in leading USF to an early 8-4 lead with 16:30 remaining. The Wolverines countered with a 9-0 run sparked by Jinna’s entrance to the game. Jinna nailed his first three of the game and had a driving layup to put UV ahead 13-8.
After the Wolverines built an eight-point advantage at 20-12 with 7:40 in the half, USF finished the period on a 20-9 run. USF scored the final nine points of the half including six straight foul shots.
Jinna led the Wolverines with 10 points in the first half while USF was led by Quezada, who scored 12 first-half points.
The Dons kept the pressure on early in the second half, extending their run to an 18-3 spurt building a 41-32 lead on a Quezada three with 16:15 left in the game. Down 54-44, UV went on a 9-4 run and cut the deficit to 58-53 on a Jordan Swarbrick put back with 6:25 left.
The Wolverines cut the lead to three at 58-55 with 4:43 left in the game only to see the Dons respond with a 7-0 run to put them ahead 65-55 with 2:00 remaining.
UV came back with a frantic run, scoring seven straight. But Quezada’s foul shots down the stretch put the game away.
Wolverine guard Ryan Toolson struggled offensively shooting 3-for-13 and making 1-of-8 behind the arc.
Utah Valley faces Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara this week, both games on the road. Utah Valley is 1-3 this season.
