OREM, Utah—Mitch Bruneel was unable to get off a three-pointer in time that would have tied the game as Utah State escaped with a 50-47 win over Utah Valley Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd of 6,121 at the UCCU Center.
 
Tied 45-45, Utah State's Jalen Moore hit a jumper to put the Aggies up by two points, 47-45, with 24 seconds to play. Moore then hit 1-of-2 free throws with seven seconds remaining to give USU a 48-45 advantage. UVU's Donte Williams cut the USU lead to just one point, 48-47, after knocking down a pair of free throws with five seconds to play. Utah State's Chris Smith broke loose as Utah Valley tried to foul and put in a dunk to put the Aggies up 50-47 with 1.8 seconds to go. Bruneel was then unable to get off a three in time as the Aggies secured the three-point victory.
 
"Congratulations to Utah State," said Utah Valley head coach Dick Hunsaker. "They made a play or two more down the stretch than we did. I thought we battled, competed and really stayed within ourselves throughout the game. Hopefully it's a game that we can reflect back on later in the year that will help improve us as a team."
 
Williams led the Wolverines with a game-high 14 points. He hit 4-of-9 shots from the field, including a pair of threes in the setback. Williams was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The junior guard also pulled down six rebounds and dished out three assists on the night.
 
Zach Nelson scored 12 points with five rebounds, one assist and a steal. Bruneel was just a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Marcel Davis helped with five points. Brenden Evans and Jaden Jackson rounded out the scoring for UVU with four and two points, respectively.
 
In a strong defensive effort, both teams struggled from the field as Utah Valley hit 29.4 percent of its shots from the field and Utah State recorded a 29.8 percent clip.
 
Moore led three Utah State players in double figures with 14 points. Smith scored 13 points and Julion Pearre added 11.
 
Utah Valley heads back out on the road for a matchup with in-state rival Weber State on Dec. 20 in Ogden. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MT).