Dec. 13, 2007

Box Score

OREM, Utah - Despite holding a 32-30 halftime lead, Utah Valley fell, 87-77, to WAC foe Boise State (7-3) Thursday night at the McKay Center.

"We might have played our best game of the year tonight," UV head coach Dick Hunsaker said. "We played with energy and emotion. Boise State is a fine team. Their front line is one of the best in the WAC."

Junior guard Ryan Toolson led all scorers with 22 points, including a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Senior Jordan Brady scored a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds

Trailing 2-5 in the early going, Richard Troyer and Toolson gave the Wolverines an 8-5 lead on back-to-back three-pointers. A strong move in the paint by Boise State forward Matt Nelson followed by a Matt Bauscher trey tied things up at 10-all minutes later.

The two teams would trade baskets and turnovers, remaining knotted at 21-21 with 7:41 to play in the first half. The Broncos used a 9-4 run to take a 30-25 lead, but UV closed out the half with a 7-0 run of its own. Sophomore guard Jordan Swarbrick hit three free throws and a three-pointer in the run, while Toolson made an impressive block and drove the length of the court for the easy deuce. Brady knocked down a baseline jumper to give the Wolverines a 32-30 lead at the break.

The halftime stat sheet proved the game was as close as the score indicated, as UV shot 11-29 from the field compared to Boise State's 12-28. The Broncos pulled down 19 boards to the Wolverines' 18, while Utah Valley committed 11 turnovers, two less than BSU.

Boise State began the second half red-hot, as senior Reggie Larry flushed down a put-back slam dunk and nailed one from behind the arc to put his team ahead 35-34. Larry would finish the game with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead BSU. Seconds later Bauscher hit another three and Nelson sank a free throw making it a 39-34 game, the largest lead of the game for either team to that point.

The Broncos built their lead to as many as eight points at 53-45. Utah Valley cut the deficit to four points behind a Joe Walker dunk and a Toolson jumper and three free throws. However, that would be as close as it would get, as the Broncos ran away with the 10-point victory.

Utah Valley travels to Cedar City, Utah to face Southern Utah Saturday at 7 p.m. (MT).