PHOENIX, AZ – After falling behind by 10 in the second half, the Utah Valley University men's basketball team fought back to make it a one-point game but missed a last-second shot as the clock expired, and suffered a 59-60 loss to Grand Canyon at GCU Arena on Saturday night.
 
The setback puts UVU's overall record at 20-9 and sets them at 9-4 in Western Athletic Conference play. Despite the loss, the Wolverines outshot the Antelopes with a 46 percent mark to GCU's 37 percent clip. Utah Valley also dominated the paint, outscoring GCU 40-22.
 
The Wolverines struggled to find the basket early on as they were scoreless through the first-three minutes of the game. Jake Toolson finally got UVU on the board after hitting a tough, contested layup. Akolda Manyang then came off the bench to get a bucket in the paint and make it a 4-4 tie heading into the first media timeout of the game.
 
Utah Valley continued to go to the paint on offense as it pulled off an 11-3 run. Manyang also aided the run on the defensive run with a pair of big blocks. Grand Canyon responded with five-quick points to take a brief lead, but Kenneth Ogbe knocked down a three to regain the advantage for UVU. Conner Toolson then took over the next phase of the half with nine-straight points.
 
Grand Canyon ripped off an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the opening half to go up by four, but the Wolverines ended the run and fought back to make it a one-point game heading into halftime, 29-28. Conner Toolson led Utah Valley in scoring for the half with nine while Ogbe pitched in seven.      
 
Brandon Randolph facilitated the offense for UVU early in the second half as he scored back-to-back layups to open things up and then found Conner Toolson for a three the next trip down the floor. Manyang then put in back-to-back layups on consecutive offensive rebounds.
 
After Manyang picked up his fourth foul, Utah Valley struggled to score and Grand Canyon capitalized with an 11-0 run to take a 10-point lead. Jerrelle DeBerry finally ended the scoreless drought with a tough layup, and Randolph completed a three-point play one possession later. After a few buckets from GCU, the Wolverines strung together a quick 6-0 run to pull within two.
 
Facing a five-point deficit with just over three minutes to play, Utah Valley came out of a timeout and again trimmed the lead to two. UVU continued to chip away and a Randolph layup with 37 seconds remaining made it a one-point game. The Wolverines got a stop on the defensive end and pushed the ball down the floor, but Randolph's shot as the horn sounded fell just short.  
 
Randolph led Utah Valley in points and assists with 15 and two, respectively. Conner Toolson was close behind as he scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while also coming away with a steal. Ogbe was the final Wolverine in double figures with 10 points to go with two rebounds. Despite fouling out, Manyang scored eight points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots.
 
UVU now returns home for its season finale and senior night as it hosts Seattle U on Saturday, March 3 at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MST with live video available via UVU TV and the WAC Digital Network. Second place in the conference and the two seed in the upcoming WAC Tournament in Las Vegas will be up for grabs.