Utah Valley improves to 21-7 overall and remains atop the WAC standings at 11-4 in league play. The Wolverines’ 26-game home win streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. Tarleton State falls to 14-15 overall and 5-11 in conference play.

“I thought the guys battled,” Utah Valley head coach  Todd Phillips  said. “They come at you all night long with their pressure, and the big thing for us was taking care of the basketball. We only had nine turnovers against a team that’s one of the best in the country at forcing them.”

Both teams struggled offensively early, playing to a 10-10 tie through the opening 8:12. Davis then sparked a 17-2 Utah Valley run, scoring eight points during the stretch as the Wolverines built a 27-12 lead with 6:33 left in the first half.

Tarleton State responded with a 12-6 run to trim the deficit to 33-24, and the Texans scored four of the final six points of the half as Utah Valley carried a 35-28 lead into the break.

The Wolverines opened the second half with a 10-4 surge to extend the margin to 45-32, but Tarleton State answered with a 13-1 run fueled by back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead to 46-45 with 13:49 remaining.

The Texans continued to push, tying the game at 61-61 with 7:06 to play. Tyler Hendricks responded with a jumper to start a 7-2 run, scoring six of those points, to put UVU back in front 68-63 with four minutes left.

After Tarleton State closed within one at 68-67, the Wolverines delivered the decisive stretch. Hendricks hit two free throws before Davis and Braden Housley converted back-to-back layups as Utah Valley scored six straight points to build a 74-67 lead with two minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets down the stretch as UVU secured the seven-point win.

“It was a chippy game, and I think it came down to composure,” Davis said. “We just stayed together, stayed consistent and made plays when we needed them.”

Davis finished with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting while adding five rebounds, three assists and a block. He said the team’s focus has sharpened down the stretch of conference play.

“We know these games are huge for us,” Davis said. “Just staying composed and playing together, that’s what helped us get this win.”

Hendricks added 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Jackson Holcombe recorded 11 points and nine rebounds, while Trevan Leonhardt finished with 11 points, seven boards and four assists.  Isaac Hawkins  also scored 10 points off the bench.

Utah Valley shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field and finished 4-of-16 (25 percent) from three-point range. Tarleton State shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) overall and hit 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Texans held a 38-36 edge on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds, but Utah Valley controlled the paint with a 44-32 scoring advantage.

“We won the battle in the paint, and that’s big this time of year,” Phillips said. “We moved the ball well, had 19 assists to nine turnovers, and that’s a good formula for us.”

Utah Valley closes out its home schedule Saturday against Abilene Christian at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., with Noah Taitz  and Hayden Welling set to be honored in a Senior Night ceremony prior to the game. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on ESPN The Fan.

Women’s hoops powers past Tarleton State

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Utah Valley University secured a regular-season sweep of Tarleton State, 65-51 on Thursday night.

Kaylee Headrick  scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season to co-lead Utah Valley (14-12, 7-8) with Cambree Blackham, who also finished with 19 points.

It’s the third win over Tarleton State (12-15, 6-10) this season in the triple round robin conference format.

Halle Nelson  added eight points and eight rebounds, while Gracie Sorenson  scored nine points and pulled down four boards as the Wolverines shot 44% from the field and went 5 for 10 from 3-point range (50%).

“It was great to get another road win,” Utah Valley head coach Dan Nielson  said. “Our defense really set the tone in the first half. I thought Cambree and Kaylee were very aggressive offensively, and Halle did a great job guarding their post player. Overall, I was really proud of our whole group tonight.”

Utah Valley shot 50% from the field in the first quarter, led by Nelson, who scored the Wolverines’ first four points. The Wolverines’ defense was stout early, forcing three turnovers in the opening three minutes. Headrick’s offensive rebound with under two minutes left in the quarter led to a Blackham 3-pointer that gave UVU a 13-10 lead. Sorenson followed with a post move to extend the margin to five before Tarleton State closed the quarter with a corner 3-pointer.

Blackham opened the second quarter with her second 3-pointer of the game. Utah Valley used a 9-0 run midway through the period to build a 29-18 lead. Sorenson hit a step-back jumper in the paint, Headrick converted a layup and Blackham knocked down another 3 with 3:25 remaining in the half to push the lead into double figures.

The Wolverines shot 50% (13 of 26) in the first half, scoring 20 of their 33 points in the paint.  Utah Valley opened the third quarter with a 5-0 run to regain an 11-point advantage with 5:53 remaining. Nelson scored on a layup before Kylee Mabry  added a jumper and Blackham converted at the free-throw line. A scoring drought of more than six minutes allowed Tarleton State to close the gap, including a 9-0 run late in the quarter to cut the deficit to 42-38 entering the fourth.

Headrick buried a corner 3-pointer to extend the lead to 49-40 with under eight minutes to play. The Wolverines then pulled away with a 7-0 run over a span of 3:02 to build a 61-47 advantage with 1:04 remaining. Utah Valley went 9 for 13 at the free-throw line in the final quarter to seal the win. Amanda Barcello  was a perfect 6 for 6 from the line in the period.

Utah Valley wraps up its final trip to Texas with a Saturday matinee at Abilene Christian. The Wolverines will close the regular season next week at home against Southern Utah and Utah Tech.