SEATTLE – After falling behind by 15 points in the first half, the Utah Valley University men's basketball team fought back to make it a one-possession game but could not hit a shot as time expired as it fell to Seattle U, 55-54, at Key Arena on Saturday night.
 
With the setback, Utah Valley falls to 16-7 overall on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
 
"I'm really proud of my team. We didn't play well in the first half, but we played really gutsy in the second half," said UVU head coach Mark Pope. "There are so many things that I was really proud of, but sometimes you just have to be one possession better and we weren't tonight."
 
After Zach Nelson scored the first points of the game for Utah Valley, the Redhawks strung together a 9-2 run to take an early lead. Jake Toolson scored the next six points for UVU to help keep the Wolverines close, and a pair of free throws from Brandon Randolph pulled Utah Valley within one. Eight-straight points from Seattle pushed the lead back to nine.
 
UVU managed to put an end to the run behind a bucket from Jake Toolson, but Seattle U slowly built its advantage into a double-digit lead. The Wolverines' deficit got as big as 15, and the Redhawks took a 36-24 lead into halftime. Jake Toolson's 12 points led Utah Valley in the first half and Conner Toolson pitched in four. Isaac Neilson collected five rebounds in the opening segment while Randolph pulled down four rebounds of his own and dished out three assists.
 
The shots began to fall for the Wolverines out of the break as Neilson and Randolph hit back-to-back threes to open the second half. Randolph connected on a layup the next trip down the floor, and UVU found itself on a 16-2 run to erase the deficit and grab a one-point lead.
 
Neither team could gain much of an advantage for the next several minutes as both sides traded one and two-point leads. Facing a one-point deficit with four minutes to play, back-to-back buckets from Jerrelle DeBerry and Randolph gave Utah Valley a three-point lead but the Redhawks connected on a three the next trip down the floor to knot things up at 48 apiece with just under three minutes remaining.
 
Seattle U reclaimed the lead moments later, but Randolph completed a three-point play to put UVU back on top. The Redhawks tied the game with a free throw and Randolph came up clutch again with a step-back 3-pointer. Seattle once again went up by one and a shot by Kenneth Ogbe as the buzzer sounded was just off the mark.  
 
Randolph led Utah Valley in both scoring and assists on the night with 15 and six, respectively. He also pulled down six rebounds on the night. Jake Toolson was not far behind as he dropped in 14 points and snagged five rebounds. Conner Toolson was the final Wolverine in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and an impressive five steals on the defensive end. Nelson added six points and three rebounds off the bench, while Neilson came in to lead the team in rebounds with nine.
 
The Wolverines continue their road trip with a visit to Chicago State on Thursday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MST and the game will be broadcast live via the WAC Digital Network. Following UVU's game in the Windy City, it will travel to Kansas City to take on UMKC on Saturday, Feb. 10.