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Utah Valley University’s Isaac Davis throws down a dunk during his 18 point performance in his team's big win over UC Irvine, November 19, 2025. (Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing)

Courtesy UVU Photo

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Utah Valley University’s Men's Basketball forward Hayden Welling scores two of his 14 points during his team's 79-72 win over UC Irvine, November 19, 2025. (Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing)

Courtesy UVU Photo

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Utah Valley University’s Men's Basketball combo guard Jackson Holcombe displayed his versatile game in playing a big role in his team's 79-72 win over UC Irvine, November 19, 2025. (Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing)

Courtesy UVU Photo

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Utah Valley University Men’s basketball is set to join the Big West Conference after this season, and if Wednesday night’s performance is any indication, it should do just fine with the transition.

The Wolverines welcomed future conference foe UC Irvine to the UCCU Center on Wednesday, and came away with an impressive 79-72 win, improving their record to 3-2 on the season while pleasing Coach Todd Phillips in the process.

“This was a big win for us…I think it gives them confidence,” Phillips said reflecting on the win during his postgame press conference. “You look at our group, and we’re pretty young and inexperienced playing together…So it’s big. These tough games are just good for us because we learn and grow.”

Wednesday’s game certainly did prove competitive throughout, with the Anteaters not willing to fold despite being beset by a 10-0 surge by UVU out of the gate. Leading the way for the Wolverines was sophomore forward Isaac Davis, who scored a team-high 18 points while adding five assists and overall showing off his great potential.

“I think it was Isaac Davis’s best game, and the crazy thing about him is I think he can do that night in and night out,” Phillips said. “He’s such a big body down there and he knocks guys around. He scores at the rim and he’s got bounce and he’s really long. He just hasn’t quite done much this year, so we’re really proud of him for stepping up and doing that.”

Davis transferred from Utah State during the offseason and has found a home in Orem, enjoying all facets of being part of Todd Phillips’ program and a student at UVU.

“I love UVU. I love the fans and I love the place,” Davis said. “…It’s been a good spot for me. Todd Phillips is a great coach and so is the staff. It’s a great, great place to be.”

As mentioned, the Wolverines set the tone early, forging a 10-0 lead out of the gate which featured great ball movement and, in turn, multiple good looks at the basket.

“It was huge,” Davis said of his team getting off to a fast start. “I think we came in with a lot of energy to start the game, so…as soon as gametime started we all locked in and came out with fire.”

UC Irvine settled in from there, however, and slowly chipped away at UVU’s lead to close the deficit to just 31-27 at the break. According to Phillips, it was a lot like his team’s prior loss to Fresno State, which saw the the Bulldogs overcome an early deficit and then eventually take a tough 75-74 loss on the road.

But a resurgent second half flipped the script this time, as UVU met the challenge, and closed out strong this time around.

Contributing big in the win, along with Davis, was combo guard Jackson Holcombe, who finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while proving extremely versatile with his play. Adding 15 points was guard Trevan Leonhardt with forward Hayden Welling, who transferred from UC Irvine, adding another 14, which included two huge 3-pointers during the game’s final 20 minutes of play.

Overall the Wolverines were able to counteract an otherwise bigger UC Irvine team with solid team play while crashing the boards hard and often throughout.

“I was really proud of our toughness,” Phillips said. “We won the rebounding battle 43-35, which was huge for us, and I’m just really proud of our guys for stepping up.”

UVU now heads south of the border to Cancun, Mexico where it will take on South Dakota State and Samford in hopes of improving upon its early season progress.

“It’s still early, but we’re going to be solid,” Davis concluded. “We’re going to be solid as long as we stay positive and keep working hard, and keep working on the small things that we need to get better at.”