HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Justin Harmon hit the go-ahead layup with 58 seconds remaining as Utah Valley came from behind to knock off Sam Houston 57-54 on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum in Hunstsville, Texas. Harmon and Fardaws Aimaq scored the final eight points of the game as UVU held the Bearkats scoreless over the final 3:38 to secure the win.

Utah Valley improves drops to 15-7 on the season, including 6-4 in WAC play. Sam Houston falls to 14-11 on the year and 9-3 in conference play.
 
"I was really proud of our guys," said Utah Valley head men's basketball coach Mark Madsen. "We didn't play our best basketball at SFA and our guys came out ready. Our guys were aggressive and I was proud of how we bounced back and hopefully we can build on this. We have a great group of team leaders and the energy and fight they had was huge."
 
After falling behind 5-0 to start the game, Aimaq scored 11 of the Wolverines first 13 points as SH held an 18-13 advantage with 9:25 to go in the first half. Blaze Nield hit a triple to cut the deficit down to 22-18, but the Bearkats responded with a 6-0 run to push the lead back out to 28-18 with 2:33 remaining in the opening half. Aimaq made another layup and Trey Farrer hit a pair of free throws to cut into the lead, but Sam Houston hit driving layup just before the halftime buzzer to take a 30-22 lead into the break.

Connor Harding scored five-straight points to get UVU going in the second half as the Wolverines trimmed the lead down to 34-30 with 16:05 to go in the game. Le'Tre Darthard was fouled on a three and hit all three free throws to help cut the lead down to three with 12:12 to go. The game would stay under six points the rest of the way as Utah Valley used a 9-4 run to pull within a point, 50-49, with 5:22 left in the game.

Sam Houston responded with back-to-back buckets to push its lead back out to 54-49 with 3:38 remaining, but the Wolverine defense held SH scoreless the rest of the way. Aimaq made a pair of free throws and scored a layup to bring UVU back within a point before Harmon drove the lane and converted a contested layup to give Utah Valley its first lead of the game with 58 seconds left. After another defensive stop, Harmon hit both free throws with five seconds left to extend the lead to 57-54 and the Bearkats were unable to make a last second shot as UVU pulled off the win.  

Aimaq led the Wolverines with 24 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the foul line, to go along with 10 rebounds. Harmon finished with 10 points off the bench and Harding added eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from downtown. Nield was a perfect 2-2 from distance and Darthard added seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
The Wolverines shot 18-41 from the field, 5-of-12 from downtown, and 16-18 from the charity stripe. UVU held the Lumberjacks to just 4-of-20 shooting from deep and 35.5 percent from the floor. Utah Valley dominated the boards, 40-28, but Sam Houston held a 26-18 advantage in points in the paint. The Lumberjacks converted 20 UVU turnovers into 19 points and doubled up the Wolverines, 12-5, in second-chance points.
 
The Wolverines return home for a matchup with Grand Canyon on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 6:00 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and ESPN 960 AM. Utah Valley then hosts WAC-leader New Mexico State on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 2:00 p.m. MT in the UCCU Center.