Utah Valley takes care of Carroll College in season opener
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- Utah Valley’s Tanner Toolson goes up for a shot against Carroll College during a men’s college basketball game at the UCCU Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- Utah Valley’s Drake Allen dunks the ball during a men’s college basketball game against Carroll College at the UCCU Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
Tanner Toolson scored a game-high 25 points and Drake Allen added 20 to lead Utah Valley to a season-opening 81-73 win over Carroll College on Monday night at the UCCU Center. The win marks the first-ever win for first-year head coach Todd Phillips at the Division I level.
“I had some nerves, but our players had a lot of nerves which surprised me because we’ve been through a couple of scrimmages,” said Utah Valley head coach Phillips. “We gutted it out though. I think their zone took the life out of us a little bit with the energy, but that’s what zones do, and Carroll did a good job of utilizing it. They (Carroll College) made it a slower game where we want to get up and down and run the ball. I was proud of our guys. They hung in there and they were resilient.”
Toolson scored his 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting, including three shots from long range. He also knocked down 6 of 8 shots at the free throw line.
Allen knocked down 7 of 11 shots from the floor, including a 2 of 2 mark from three-point range and a 4 of 7 clip from the charity stripe for his 20 points. Allen also pulled down six rebounds with four assists and a pair of steals.
Jaden McClanahan dished out a career-high 10 assists. The 10 assists are the eighth most in UVU single game history. McClanahan also had seven points with five rebounds.
K’mani Doughty had seven points with five rebounds and a pair of assists. Trevin Dorius and Osiris Grady had six points apiece, while Trevan Leonhardt each had five points.
As a team, Utah Valley shot 41.9 percent (26-62) from the field with a 28.0 percent (7-25) mark from beyond the arc. UVU outrebounded Carroll College 39-38. The Fighting Saints shot 46.0 percent (29-63) from the floor, including a 25 percent (3-12) clip from three-point range.
The Wolverines had just 10 turnovers on the night while forcing Carroll College into 14 giveaways.
After taking a 9-8 lead through the first five minutes of the game, Utah Valley’s Tanner Toolson knocked down a three to spark an 11-2 run to help the Wolverines jump out to a 20-10 lead with 11:14 remaining in the first half. UVU held on to its 10-point lead, 31-21, with 3:15 to play in the first, but Carroll College outscored UVU 9-4 over the final 2:38 of the half to cut the UVU lead to a five-point 35-30 advantage at the break.
The Wolverines outscored the Fighting Saints 15-9 over the first 6:30 of the second half to take an 11-point, 50-39, lead with 14 minutes to play. Carroll College cut the UVU lead to seven points, 50-43, with 13 minutes to go, but Allen hit a three to start an 11-2 UVU run as the Wolverines extended their lead to 16 points, 61-45, with nine minutes remaining. Carroll College cut the UVU lead to single digits, 70-61, with 4:20 to play, but UVU got it back to 11 points, 76-65, with just over two minutes remaining. The Wolverines then hung on down the stretch to take the 81-73 win.
Utah Valley now heads out on the road as the team travels to The Lone Star State to take on former WAC foe Sam Houston on Nov 9 in Huntsville. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. (MT) The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN 960 AM radio with the UVU pregame show starting at 5 p.m. (MT)
UVU Women 56, Weber State 55
Utah Valley University outlasted Weber State University to open the 2023-24 season on Monday night in the UCCU Center.
Ally Criddle led three players in double figures with 12 points, but it was the Wolverine defense that turned the tide on opening night. Kylee Mabry came off the bench and tied a school record with seven steals while Criddle and Saige Gibb had three each. The team recorded 20 steals on the night, a program record against another NCAA Division I program.
“Weʻve been preaching that we have a level of depth we haven’t had in the past and we tell everyone to be ready with what you’re good at, and Kylee’s really good at pressuring the ball. That changed the game,” said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. It speaks to our team this year. It can be anyone on any given night and everyone’s got to be ready. I’m really just proud of this team.”
With the win, the Wolverines have now won four straight season-openers under Nielson, who is entering his fifth season leading the program. Utah Valley will now be off until next Tuesday night when they make the short trip to Provo to face BYU at 7 p.m. MT.
