Utah Valley improves to 11-6 overall and remains unbeaten in WAC play at 3-0, while CBU falls to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in league action.

Trailing 63-61 with 3:29 remaining, Trevan Leonhardt drilled a pivotal three-pointer to put the Wolverines ahead 64-63. Moments later, Tanner Toolson hit another three to extend UVU’s lead to 67-63 with 2:36 to go. After a three by CBU’s Adam Moussa cut the lead to 69-67, Utah Valley closed out the game with a 6-2 run over the final 1:13 to secure the win.

“We came out of the huddle, and we talked about how, whatever’s happened the rest of the game, we’ve got four minutes to win,” Leonhardt said. “Carter [Welling] made a good pass, told me to shoot it, and I think I only had one option there. I let it go, and I’m happy we got the win.”

Nelson led UVU with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and added seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. “He’s almost unguardable in transition,” Leonhardt said of Nelson. “He’s quick, shifty, and a good playmaker. He’s fantastic for us.”

Toolson finished with 14 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. “That three by Trevan was huge, and then Tanner followed it with another big one,” said UVU head coach Todd Phillips. “We trust them both to take those shots in big moments.”

Carter Welling narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while Leonhardt contributed nine points, four rebounds, and four steals. Off the bench, Hayden Welling knocked down a key three-pointer and chipped in seven points.

Utah Valley shot 44.8% (26-of-58) from the field and an impressive 87% (20-of-23) from the free throw line while outrebounding the Lancers 41-29.

“Winning the rebound war was a big focus for us,” Phillips said. “CBU is the best rebounding team in the league, so to outrebound them 41-29 was huge.”

AJ Braun led CBU with 16 points, while Dominic Daniels Jr. added 15. The Wolverines’ defensive effort stood out, holding CBU to just eight free throw attempts and limiting Daniels, one of the league’s top scorers, to 15 points on 30% shooting. “We didn’t foul him or send him to the line, which was huge,” Phillips said. “Our discipline was on full display tonight.”

The Wolverines also fed off their home crowd, improving to 7-0 at the UCCU Center this season. “We love playing at home,” Leonhardt said. “The energy from our fans has been amazing, and we want this place packed every game. Protecting the den is a huge focus for us.”

Utah Valley missed its first nine shots before Nelson’s basket at the 15-minute mark made it 4-2 CBU. A layup from Welling sparked a 7-2 Wolverine run, giving UVU a 9-6 lead with 11:58 remaining. After holding a 12-9 advantage, the Wolverines surrendered a 12-2 run as CBU jumped ahead 21-14 with 6:21 left in the half. UVU answered with a 15-1 run, highlighted by a Nelson dunk, to take a 29-22 lead with 1:21 to go. The Lancers scored the final three points of the half, but UVU still led 29-25 at the break.

Utah Valley maintained its lead early in the second half, holding a 35-31 advantage at the 17-minute mark. CBU responded with a 10-6 run to tie the game at 41-41 with 14 minutes to play. The teams traded leads and ties over the next several minutes, with CBU taking a 53-49 lead. A 7-3 Wolverine run, powered by four points from Hayden Welling, tied the game at 56-56 with 8:12 to play. With the game tied at 61-61 with 3:54 remaining, Leonhardt’s three-pointer gave UVU a 64-63 lead. Toolson followed with another three to push the lead to 67-63 with 2:36 to go. After CBU cut the deficit to two, 69-67, the Wolverines held strong, closing out the game on a 6-2 run to secure the 75-69 victory.

Utah Valley now heads on the road to face UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MT, with the game broadcast 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). Utah Valley’s next home game is set for Saturday, Jan. 18 against in-state foe Utah Tech. Tickets are available online at GoUVU.com.

Hot shooting leads Cal Baptist past UVU women

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Utah Valley University fell victim to a career night from California Baptist and Khloe Lemon, as she scored a career-high 39 points in a 77-50 contest on Saturday at the CBU Events Center.

Lemon set a program record with 11 makes from three as the Lancers (5-11, 2-0) were 19-for-34 (55.9%) from beyond the arc in the game. Amanda Barcello scored 14 points to lead the Wolverines (9-6, 1-2), keeping UVU in the game in the first half, hitting a trio of 3-pointers herself. Halle Nelson had a season-high 13 for Utah Valley, also pulling down six rebounds.

Tessa Chaney and Kylee Mabry both added seven points but the Wolverines struggled from the field, hitting just 24.3% (17-for-70). UVU finished with 11 steals in the contest, three from Barcello.

The Lancers hit their first five shots of the game, including four straight 3-pointers. Three of those came from Lemon, who hit her first three attempts from beyond the arc and was 6-for-10 in the half, scoring 20 points by halftime. The Wolverines trailed 38-25 at the break after CBU hit 10-of-16 of its attempts from three in the half. Conversely, the Lancers were 3-for-11 in the half on 2-point attempts.

Lemon had 14 in the opening quarter and followed that up with 13 in the third, hitting three more triples to give her 33 points after three quarters as CBU carried a 61-37 lead into the fourth.

After three straight on the road to start the WAC season, the Wolverines will return home next Thursday to host UT Arlington before playing at Utah Tech on Saturday.

Four track school records fall at Cougar Invitational

Quincy Bonds ran for two school records with the team totaling four on Saturday at the BYU Cougar Invitational at Smith Fieldhouse. Joining Bonds atop the record books are Ella Hopper and Mo Guled, with several other Wolverines contesting PRs and taking first place in their events.

Bonds tied a 17-year-old school record in the 60-meter dash, tying Mariama Salifu with a time of 7.51 seconds. She broke her own 60-meter hurdles record in the prelims of that event, running in 8.42 seconds. Bonds then later took first place in 8.68 seconds with Kali McEuen and Whitney Fisher also advancing to the finals and taking seventh and eighth, respectively.

Hopper set the 400-meter school record with her race-winning time of 55.01 seconds. She broke former Wolverine Larissa Dabb’s previous record. Dabb’s sister, Gabriele, was fifth in the 400 on Saturday with a time of 59.77 seconds.

Guled, who is coming off of a banner fall season in cross country, set the new 3,000-meter indoor record with a time of 8:03.60 while also finishing first. Jason Hoffman also notched a personal best and the No. 5 mark in the 3k, finishing in 8:11.42, two day after he set the 1,000-meter school record. UVU had seven program indoor records matched or broken this week. Alyssa Logan (weight throw) and Aiden Garnett (high jump) also set new school records earlier in the week.

The Wolverines also had two top 10’s in the women’s 3,000, with Allie Warner and WAC cross country champion Anna Martin both running well. Warner won the race in 9:43.32, which slots her eighth in the record book while Martin takes over the No. 10 spot after her finish (9:46.84) put her in third place on Saturday. Oakley Olson was second in the 3k, while Caila Odekirk fourth, Agnieszka Lubowska fifth, Kelsi Lindley sixth and Ari Trimble seventh, as the Wolverines had the top seven finishers. Jennaveve Bingham took second place in the women’s 800-meter run with her adjusted time of 2:14.01 putting her seventh at Utah Valley in the record book.

In the women’s pole vault, Grace Williams and Jocelyn Phillips each bested 3.75 meters to move into the No. 2 spot in the program’s top 10. The feat is just shy of Maysen Rollo’s 3.76-meter school record.

Isaiah Archer also set a PR in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 48.69 seconds to move into third in the top 10. He was seventh in the race with Cameron Franklin, the school-record holder taking sixth in 48.43 seconds. Sprinter Matthew Maclennan rounded out the Wolverine top 10 marks on Saturday with the No. 7 mark in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, finishing in 8.26 seconds.

Other Utah Valley athletes also had solid days. Defending WAC Indoor 60-meter champion Gabe Remy won the event (6.72), followed by Kade Thompson (6.81) in second and Gavin Stafford in fourth (6.89). Former Wolverine sprinter and now assistant coach, Ryan Tenn, also competed unattached and was third (6.87).

Also among distance runners with standout performances were Elisabeth Ferrell and Liz Zwahlen, who finished second and third in the women’s mile. Abdulsalam Farah was second in the men’s mile, just barely off of his PR and program record. The Utah Valley women took first in the 4×400 relay behind Hopper, Dabb, Fisher, and Makaylie Roberds.