LONG BEACH, Cali. – Utah Valley's second-half rally came up short in a 68-65 loss on the road at Long Beach State on Saturday evening at the Walter Pyramid.

Utah Valley trailed by as many as 13 in the second half but was able to tie it late before falling just short. The loss drops UVU to 5-9 on the season as Long Beach State improves to 4-9 with the win.  
 
"I have to complement our guys they played so hard in this game and we had a chance down one and it just didn't go our direction tonight," said Utah Valley head coach, Mark Madsen. "We didn't lose that game in the last two minutes, we lost that game in the first half and in the first ten minutes of the second half on little things. Transition defense, boxouts and too many turnovers tonight and these are things that we work on and need to continue to get better at."

After a Brandon Averette runner, the Beach went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead with 17:18 to go in the game. The Wolverines then used a 7-2, powered by Isaiah White, to tie the game up at 17 apiece with 11:44 left in the opening half. Long Beach State held Utah Valley without a point for the next six minutes, using an 11-0 surge to push their lead back out to 26-17 with under six minutes to play in the first half. White and Averette scored the next 11 points for the Wolverines as they cut into the lead with a 11-3 run to bring the score to 31-28 with 2:36 to go in the half. Both teams exchanged buckets to end the half as the 49ers took a 35-31 lead into the break.
 
Long Beach State opened the second half with a 10-2 run to extend their lead to 45-33 with 16:49 to go in the game. Both teams went back and forth before the LBSU made a layup to push its lead to 13 points, 58-45 with 7:36 left in the second half. Casdon Jardine hit a three to start the comeback as UVU went on a 12-0 run over the next three minutes. Trey Woodbury capped the run with a shot from deep to bring the Wolverines within a point, 58-57 with 4:27 remaining in the game. White hit a jumper to tie the game up at 60-60 with just over two minutes left, but Long Beach State hit a pair of threes to give them the lead for good. TJ Washington's last second heave wouldn't go as the 49ers held on for the 68-65 win.
 
Utah Valley shot just 35.8 percent from the floor, hitting only nine of 32 shots from beyond the arc. The Wolverines won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Beach 43-38, including a 14-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.
 
White paced the Wolverines with 22 points off the bench to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Averette was the other Wolverine in double figures with 17 points, dishing out a game-high five assists. Emmanuel Olojapoke grabbed seven rounds and swatted a team-high four shots.
 
"The good news is that the guys have embraced the work and have embraced putting in the work in every day," said Madsen. "We have gotten better but we need to continue to get better. This next game is an important game for us as we wrap up the nonconference schedule and get ready for WAC play. A lot of teams in the WAC have had very difficult schedules and they will be ready to play and so will we."

Utah Valley will wrap up non-conference play as the team returns home to take on Antelope Valley on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3:00 P.M. MT. The game will be broadcasted on the WAC Digital Network and ESPN960 AM. The Wolverines open WAC play on Jan. 2 as they travel to take on Chicago State. The game will tip at 6:00 P.M. MT and will be broadcasted on the WAC Digital Network and ESPN960 AM.