Trevin Dorius recorded a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double and Ethan Potter scored 16 points to lead Utah Valley to a fourth straight victory in a 70-59 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.

Utah Valley improves to 13-14 overall and 8-8 in WAC play. The Wolverines have won four straight dating back to a 74-45 win over Abilene Christian on Feb. 10.

“I thought that was the tale of two halves tonight,” said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. “We got it going early in the first half and then just settled and started missing shots and they started hitting baskets. UTRGV’s percentage in the first half was way too high for us. We made some adjustments and came out in the second half and hit them instead of them hitting us and went up on them. I’m really proud of our guys and the effort they had tonight. It’s great to be at home.”

Potter scored his 16 points on a 7 of 13 clip from the floor and a 2 of 2 mark from the free throw line. He also pulled down seven rebounds with two assists. Dorius scored 15 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the field and a 1 of 1 clip at the charity stripe. He also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds with a pair of blocks. The 14 blocks were just one shy of tying his career high of 15. Jaden McClanahan was also in double figures with 11 points to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Tanner Toolson had 10 points with four assists and three rebounds. Drake Allen matched a career high with 11 assists. He also pulled down five rebounds with a block.

Utah Valley shot 45.3% (29-64) from the field with a 31.3% (5-16) clip from long range. UTRGV shot 41.7% (25-60) from the floor with an 25.0% (4-16) mark from three-point range. Utah Valley outrebounded UTRGV 40-33 and outscored the Vaqueros 44-26 in the paint.

Utah Valley built a 7-1 lead through the first 2:39 of the game before UTRGV used a 6-0 run to tie the game, 7-7, with 15 minutes on the clock. With the score tied 11-11, UVU scored six unanswered to take a 17-11 lead with 10 minutes to play in the half. UTRGV cut it back to three points, 19-16, but UVU extended its lead to seven points, 25-18, over the next 2:38. The Vaqueros then used an 10-0 run over the next 3:19 to take a 28-25 lead with 2:35 remaining in the half. The Wolverines outscored UTRGV 6-4 over the final two minutes as the Vaqueros took a 32-31 lead into the break.

The two teams played through three ties and three lead changes through the first three minutes of the second half, playing to a 40-40 tie with 17 minutes on the clock. Utah Valley then went on a 17-4 run over the next 6:56 to take a 57-44 lead with 9:58 to go. UTRGV outscored UVU 15-13 the rest of the way as UVU secured the 70-59 win.

Utah Valley will continue WAC play at home on Saturday afternoon against Stephen F. Austin. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and over the Utah County air waves on ESPN 960 AM radio.

Women’s basketball drops another heartbreaker

EDINBURG, Texas — Amanda Barcello scored a career-high 17 points and Utah Valley had a late lead, but UT Rio Grande Valley closed the contest on an 8-1 run over the final 37 seconds to steal a crucial win, 63-62, on Thursday night at UTRGV Fieldhouse.

It was the second straight one-point loss for UVU, which fell to Southern Utah 67-66 in double overtime on Saturday.

Barcello hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game to give the Wolverines (9-16, 4-12) an 8-point lead, 57-49, with 4:20 left. She then snagged an offensive rebound and put it back for two with 2:23 left, giving UVU a 59-50 advantage. But the Vaqueros (6-18, 5-10) finished the game on a 13-3 run and moved to two games in front of the Wolverines in the loss column as both teams fight for a spot in the WAC Tournament in March.

With the Wolverines in front 61-60 with under 20 seconds left, the Vaqueros secured two offensive rebounds before Arianna Sturdivant hit a jumper that went as the game-winner with six seconds remaining. Both teams had 1-for-2 trips from the line in the closing seconds for the final tally.

Tahlia White added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Eleyana Tafisi scored 11 points and also had a pair of blocked shots. Jayda Holiman led UTRGV with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Barcello hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter for UVU. Down 13-10, she started a 12-2 run that closed the first and began the second quarter. The Wolverines led 20-15 after one and then pushed it to seven when Saige Gibb opened the second with a driving layup. The Vaqueros responded with an 11-2 run with eight of those points coming from Holiman, who had 13 points at the half. Holiman’s third 3-pointer of the quarter tied the game at 30-30 with 20 seconds left before Tafisi scored in the closing seconds to give Utah Valley a 32-30 halftime lead.

Utah Valley took a 48-44 lead into the fourth quarter and stretched it to as much as nine before seeing the game slip away. The Wolverines outshot the Vaqueros, hitting 46.4% from the field to 36.7% from UTRGV, but was hurt by just 5-for-12 from the line. UVU also out-rebounded UTRGV, 44-30, but the Vaqueros took care of the ball, limiting their turnovers to just 11 when the Wolverines entered the game forcing almost 21 per game.

Utah Valley will now head to Stephen F. Austin for a Saturday contest that is slated to tip off at 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT.

Newsletter