Big second-half run gives UVU men’s basketball big win over North Dakota
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- UVU players celebrate forcing a shot-clock violation during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling dunks the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Trevan Leonhardt looks to pass the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU junior Dominick Nelson goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU freshman Jackson Holcombe goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Osiris Grady goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling dunks the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Tanner Toolson goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling dunks the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU freshman Jackson Holcombe goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU players talk things over during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Osiris Grady goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU junior Dominick Nelson goes up for a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling hangs on the rim after dunking the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling dunks the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Trevan Leonhardt looks to pass the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling shoots a shot during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips directs his team during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
How do you win a college basketball game where both teams put together some big runs?
Have the biggest run.
That’s the recipe UVU used to perfection in Wednesday’s game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday night, using a 23-0 push that started at the end of the first half and carried over for the first few minutes of the second.
The Fighting Hawks tried to answer but the Wolverines refused to let the visitors back in the game, rolling to the 80-57 victory.
“That’s what halftime is for, making adjustments,” UVU sophomore guard Trevan Leonhardt said. “We talked about defense a lot, and I think that’s why we started off fast. We came out aggressive and played good defense, which is big for us. We’ve got good coaches who tell us the right things at halftime, and we just executed.”
He grinned as he talked about what it’s like to have everything going your team’s way for a few minutes like that
“It’s fun,” Leonhardt said. “That’s why you play basketball, when you’re in that flow with a team, especially a team that is looking to get each other buckets. I think that’s the game we love to play. We were able to get a piece of that today when we’re just clicking on all cylinders.”
Wolverine head coach Todd Phillips said the difference during that run was the effort on defense.
“I kind of went at our guys a little bit as far as guarding and defensive rebounding at halftime,” Phillips said. “They came out the second half and responded and really, really locked in defensively. I do believe this is a really good defensive team that we’ve got. We have the ability to really guard. Obviously shutting them down early in the in the second half and getting on a run ourselves was big time.”
UVU found themselves in a hole midway through the first half when North Dakota put together an 11-0 run to surge to an 18-10 lead.
But the home team rallied immediately, scoring 20 of the next 23 points to flip the script and have a 30-21 edge of their own.
The Fighting Hawks had an answer that time, closing the half on a 10-2 spurt before Wolverine sophomore Jackson Holcombe hit a 3-pointer to finish the scoring with UVU up 35-31 at the break.
That was as close as it would get, though, as UVU exploded to the big lead and stayed focused enough to keep North Dakota from being able to get back into the game.
“Closing out games is important but it’s hard,” Leonhardt said. “But that’s what good teams do. Good teams finish games. We got that lead and then the biggest thing there is get stops on defense. They made a few shots but we kept pushing on the defensive end and just played hard.”
The Wolverines finished with three players in double figures, led by 19 points from sophomore forward Carter Welling. Junior Dominick Nelson added 15 and sophomore Tanner Toolson added 10, while Leonhardt finished with nine points and six assists.
As a team, UVU had 22 assists on 31 made baskets and knocked down 12-of-28 3-pointers (led by Leonhardt going 3-of-4).
“We’ve been putting the work in to make shots,” Leonhardt said. “We’ve been putting that work in to have confidence and do it, so it’s nice to see the ball go in today.”
It didn’t hurt that UVU got to play back at the UCCU Center after month-long road trip.
“It’s a blessing but it’s also hard to be on the road a lot,” Leonhardt said. “This is a new team with new guys. We’ve been together a lot recently, but going on the road like that is big for team culture and getting to know guys at a different level. But it’s nice to be home. We like being home. We like playing here in front of our fans.”
With the win, the Wolverines got back to .500 on the season (5-5). Phillips believes that the first 10 games showed his team that it is going through the process but it has the potential to be really good.
“What I take from the first 10 games is confidence that we’re continuing to grow and get better,” Phillips said. “We’ve had some huge wins, especially beating UTEP here. They’re one of the top teams in Conference USA right now.
“But we’re a young team with guys who don’t have a lot of Division I experience. Expecting these guys to be great right off the bat is what you want as a coach but it just doesn’t happen. Seeing the growth tonight was great and I was really, really proud of our guys.”
UVU now heads back across the country to play at Jacksonville State on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. MT.
