Saturday’s in-state WAC men’s basketball game at the UCCU Center in Orem between Utah Valley and Southern Utah had both teams yanked around on a yo-yo string for much of the first 25 minutes.

First the Wolverines surged to a 16-7 lead … then the Thunderbirds came back to cut it to one at 17-6 … then UVU pulled in front again … followed but SUU finishing the first half strong to lead 38-35 at the break.

The second half started similarly, with the visiting T’Birds extending the lead to 44-37, only to see the Wolverines answer and tie the game at 52-52.

It was at that point, however, that UVU cut the yo-yo string and just rolled away.

The Wolverines scored 11 straight points to seize control and never looked back, finishing with the 80-62 win over SUU.

“It feels good (to get another win at home),” UVU senior guard Caleb Stone-Carrawell said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “All season long we’ve had a tough schedule, so it is always good to get the ones at home.”

Stone-Carrawell credited Wolverine head coach Todd Phillips for ensuring that his team came out after the break with the right approach after how the Thunderbirds had ended the half.

“At halftime, he (Phillips) told us not to get down,” Stone-Carrawell said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “The thing about basketball is it is two halves. It was about focusing on the second half and getting done the things we needed to get done.”

Stone-Carrawell — who led the team with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting — said he appreciates what he sees from Phillips.

“He’s a first-year head coach but he is very experienced at what he does,” Stone-Carrawell said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “He does a really good job with the players. He is a player’s coach. He gives everyone on the floor confidence, so it’s been really good playing for him.”

“I’ve learned a lot. The first thing is to always stay confident, no matter what. He preaches confidence. He wants players to put the work in and then once they do that to always stay confident. That’s one thing I love about him.”

The Wolverines did a lot of things right during the game-changing run including making solid defensive plays, securing defensive rebounds, being aggressive offensively and making foul shots.

When the game was tied with just under 13 minutes to play, UVU got blocks from Stone-Carrawell and senior guard Jaden McClanahan to keep SUU from going back in front.

The Wolverines scored their next six points from the stripe, then got a couple on buckets inside to push the advantage to double digits for the first time.

The Thunderbirds had answered UVU’s runs up to that point but in the final 10 minutes would get no closer than six before the game got out of reach.

The Wolverines had four players in double figures with junior Drake Allen (16 points and nine assists), senior Trevin Dorius (14 points and nine rebounds) and freshman Tanner Toolson (14 points) joining Stone-Carrawell in that category.

Stone-Carrawell said it makes the game easier when multiple guys are finding ways to get the ball in the basket.

“When more people start scoring, defenses have more players to worry about,” Stone-Carrawell said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “That opens things up for everyone else. We have a lot of talented players on this team and we are working on putting it all together. It needs to all come together at the right time.”

As is usually the case for this Wolverine team, moving the ball and rebounding was also important. UVU had 19 assists on 28 field goals, while winning the war on the boards, 43-34.

SUU was led by 17 points from Zion Young, while former Skyridge star Brayden Housley chipped in eight points while playing all 40 minutes for the Thunderbirds.

The victory pushed UVU back over .500 (8-7) and moved it to 3-1 in conference play, while Southern Utah dropped to 5-10 on the season (0-4 in the WAC).

The Wolverines now head out on the road for three straight WAC games, starting with UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 11 in Arlington, Texas.

“We need to have this confidence on the road,” Stone-Carrawell said on the ESPN+ broadcast. “We’ve won the road before. It’s about having that mindset that it doesn’t matter where you are at. You just have to lace them up, play basketball and get the job done.”

That game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.

Wolverine women’s hoops can’t keep up at Southern Utah

Utah Valley University couldn’t overcome a cold night from the field in a 71-58 loss at Southern Utah University on Saturday at the America First Events Center.

Jenna Dick hit five 3-pointers and led the Wolverines (5-8, 0-4) with a season-high 15 points while Amanda Barcello added eight points and Tahlia White chipped in seven. The Thunderbirds (4-9, 2-2) got a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds from Ava Uhrich, who led three SUU players in double figures in scoring. Daylani Ballena finished with 16 and Samantha Johnston added 15, with nine coming in the fourth quarter on a trio of 3-pointers.

UVU found itself in a big hole after hitting just 27.5% through three quarters. The Wolverines finished the contest 21-for-59 overall (35.6%) while the T-Birds hit 49.1% (27-for-55) from the field.

The Wolverines return to Orem for a three-game homestand beginning next Thursday at 6 p.m. MT against UT Arlington in the UCCU Center.

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