SAN ANTONIO—Utah Valley overcame a 16-point second half deficit to climb to within one point but couldn't get any closer in a 66-60 loss to UTSA on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas.
 
The loss marks the fourth straight setback for the Wolverines who fall to 5-6 overall. The win secures UTSA a split of the two-game series against UVU this season and improves the 'Runners record to 4-8 on the year.

"We're struggling a little bit right now," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "This tough schedule has gotten to us a little bit. UTSA played so hard. They remind me of our team last year. They play with a lot of heart and soul. It's a great lesson for my guys to learn about how hard you need to play to compete in every single game.  We obviously have a lot of growing to do. We've taken a couple of steps backwards but now we will get back to work to climb our way out of it."

Trailing by 16 points, 39-23, with 17:20 to play in the final period, Utah Valley scored 15 unanswered points over a five-minute stretch to get to within one point, 39-38, with 12 minutes remaining. UTSA used a 12-3 run of their own to extend their lead back up to 10 points, 55-45, with 5:35 left on the clock.
 
Back-to-back threes by Zach Nelson and Jordan Poydras got the Wolverines back to within three pints, 60-57, with 1:57 remaining. UVU then missed a pair of game-tying shots from beyond the arc, forcing the Wolverines to send UTSA to the free throw line. The 'Runners then knocked down 6-of-8 free throws over the final 32 seconds to secure the win.
 
Nelson led Utah Valley with a team-high 14 points, connecting on 5-of-11 shots from the field with a 3-of-5 mark from long range. Poydras was also in double figures with 12 points, hitting 4-of-9 shots on the night, including three shots from beyond the arc.
 
Conner Toolson scored nine points, while Isaac Neilson added seven points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds. Ivory Young had six points with a career-high seven assists.
 
Utah Valley shot 31.7 percent (19-of-60) from the field on the night compared to UTSA's 35.4 percent (23-of-65) clip. UTSA just edged out UVU on the boards, 47-45.
 
Utah Valley returns home to take on Montana Tech on Friday, Dec. 23. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (MST).