The win evens Utah Valley’s record at 6-6 overall, while Idaho State falls to 5-6 after suffering its first home loss of the season.

Trailing 43-39 with 16 minutes remaining, the Wolverines surged ahead with a 16-5 run over the next eight minutes to take a 55-48 lead they would not relinquish. UVU closed out the game by outscoring the Bengals 15-8 down the stretch to secure the 14-point victory.

“It was a tremendous battle on both ends, and it was a war in the trenches,” said UVU head coach Todd Phillips. “It wasn’t pretty, but it was great for our guys to come out victorious. Idaho State is the top rebounding team in the country, and we held them to just nine offensive rebounds. Really proud of the effort tonight.”

Welling led the way, scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a three-pointer, and a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the free throw line. He added nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist, finishing just shy of a double-double.

“He’s a warrior out there,” Phillips said of Welling. “He’s still a little banged up and out of shape because he hasn’t been able to practice, but I’m really proud of him tonight. He had a great game for us.”

Dominick Nelson added 14 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-8 at the stripe, while Jackson Holcombe chipped in a career-high 12 points off the bench to go along with seven rebounds.

“Jackson Holcombe was huge for us,” Phillips said. “He’s one of our tough guys, and his physicality down low was big. He had four offensive rebounds and 12 points, but more than that, the defensive effort from our bench was a big key tonight.”

Utah Valley shot 43.8% (28-of-64) from the floor while holding Idaho State to 35.2% (19-of-54). The Wolverines also outscored the Bengals 44-26 in the paint, a critical factor in the win.

“The war in the paint was big,” said Phillips. “We won that 44-26, and I think that was a huge part of the victory tonight.”

Utah Valley nearly matched the Bengals on the boards, 39-36, despite Idaho State entering the game leading the nation in rebound margin.

Utah Valley returns to action on Saturday in Ogden to take on in-state rival Weber State at the Dee Events Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the game airing live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County, 98.3 FM/101.5 HD2 in Salt Lake County).

BYU football’s Isaiah Glasker honored as All-American honorable mention

BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker has been named Sports Illustrated All-America honorable mention. Glasker was one of 75 student-athletes named to one of the 2024 SI All-America teams.

The 6-5, 235-pound sophomore from South Jordan, Utah, was previously named First-Team All-Big 12 by College Football Network and All-Big 12 honorable mention by the conference. Glasker was also named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and the Chuck Bednarik National Player of the Week for his performance in BYU’s 41-19 win over Arizona on Oct. 12.

Glasker played in all 12 games for BYU and led the Big 12 in tackles for loss per game (1.13). He led the Cougars in tackles for loss (13.5) as well as unassisted tackles (38) and was second in total tackles (62) and sacks (3.5).

In addition to his other accolades, Glasker was named Midseason All-America second team by The Athletic and Midseason First Team All-Big 12 by CFN.

UVU women’s soccer has four honored as Scholar All-Americans

Four Utah Valley University women’s soccer players have been named to the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Team, the most of any program in the nation.

Senior forward Faith Webber earned First Team honors, while junior defender Haley Funn was named to the Second Team, and senior midfielder Manthy Brady and junior forward Ruby Hladek were named to the Third Team.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our players recognized and our program as a whole,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “We take great pride in being both competitive on the field and highly successful in the classroom as well. Something that we say regularly is how you do anything is how you do everything. These four players are a testament of that.”

Webber, a senior forward from Grand Blanc, Michigan, capped her remarkable collegiate career with a school-record 18 goals this past season, ranking fifth nationally. She recently became just the third UVU women’s soccer player in program history to earn the prestigious College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® honor. Webber excelled in the classroom with a 3.94 GPA in psychology and is Utah Valley’s all-time leader in goals (48) and points (109).

Funn, from Great Falls, Virginia, anchored UVU’s back line and earned WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. She played a pivotal role in a defense that recorded five shutouts and limited opponents to nine shots per game in WAC play. Funn maintained a 3.85 GPA in biology while also contributing two goals and two assists this season.

Brady, a native of Lindon, Utah, started all 18 matches for the Wolverines and earned First Team All-WAC honors. Brady excelled academically with a 3.91 GPA in digital marketing.

Hladek, from Ladera Ranch, California, led the WAC in assists with 10, ranking 17th nationally in the category. Hladek also excelled in the classroom, earning a 3.90 GPA in digital marketing.

Utah Valley’s four Scholar All-America honorees highlight another successful season for the Wolverines, who also captured their third straight WAC regular season championship. The Wolverines led all programs in the nation with four selections, showcasing their excellence on and off the field.

BYU men’s hoops adds mid-year transfer

BYU head men’s basketball coach Kevin Young announced the addition of Khadim Mboup to the 2024-25 roster.

“Khadim is a great young man who has worked really hard to get to this point,” Young said. “We’re thrilled that he’s joining our program after a very successful stint with NBA Academy Africa. He is an elite level athlete that can really be disruptive on the defensive end and guard multiple positions. Khadim has tremendous upside offensively with his ability to attack the rim, combined with his smooth shooting mechanics.”

The 6-foot-9 forward from Senegal comes to Provo from NBA Academy Africa. He also spent three years in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elevate program, including last sason with AS Douanes. He also played under current BYU assistant coach Will Voigt at Egypt’s Zamalek.