OREM—Leading 71-68 with 28 seconds to play, Jaden McClanahan stole the ball and knocked down five free throws over the final 26 seconds to help lift Utah Valley to a 78-72 win over Seattle U in the WAC opener on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center.
 
Utah Valley knocked down 9 of 10 free throws over the final minute of the game to improve to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in WAC play. Seattle U falls to 4-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. 
 
"I'm really happy with the way our guys executed the game plan tonight," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "I think they do a heck of a job at Seattle. He's (Seattle U head coach Chris Victor) always playing chess and changing up the lineups. I'm a rookie coach playing checkers while he's playing chess and trying to figure it out."
 
Caleb Stone-Carrawell led Utah Valley with 20 points, knocking down 5 of 12 shots from the field with three-point bucket. He was also an impressive 9 of 10 from the charity stripe. 
 
McClanahan finished with 19 points, three assists, and a steal. He hit 5 of 9 shots on the night, including a 3 of 4 clip from long range. McClanahan went 6 of 7 from the free throw line. 
 
Trevin Dorius nearly had a double-double with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and three blocks. He was 5 of 7 from the floor with a perfect 6 of 6 mark from the free throw line.
 
Tanner Toolson scored nine points with three assists. Nate Tshimanga helped with six points and five rebounds. 
 
As a team, Utah Valley shot 46.7% (21-45) from the field with a 37.5% clip (6-16) from beyond the arc. UVU held Seattle U to 45.5% shooting (25-55), including a 33.3% mark (8-24) from long range. UVU finished with a 78.9% (30-38) clip at the free throw line, connecting on 21 of 24 in the second half. 
 
Utah Valley forced the Redhawks into 14 turnovers that turned into 17 UVU points. The Wolverines turned the ball over just nine times. 
 
Utah Valley continues WAC play on Saturday as the team travels south down I-15 to St. George to take on Utah Tech in an Old Hammer Rivalry game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Seattle U opened the game with an 8-3 lead through the first three minutes. A Trevin Dorius dunk then sparked a 10-4 UVU run to give UVU a 13-12 lead with 13 minutes to play in the first half. The Redhawks responded right back with an 8-1 run over the next two minutes to retake the lead, 20-14, with 11:45 on the clock. Stone-Carrawell then scored four of the next six points as UVU went on a 18-6 run to take the lead, 32-26, with 5:35 remaining in the half. SU then scored nine unanswered points to take a 35-32 lead with 1:37 to play in the half. Stone-Carrawell was fouled on the shot behind the line with 1.9 seconds to play and knocked down 2 of 3 to cut the Seattle U lead to a 35-34 advantage at the half.
 
Utah Valley scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half to take a 42-37 lead at the 17:24 mark. SU then scored seven of the next 10 points to cut the UVU lead to just one point, 45-44, with 15 minutes to go. UVU then scored seven of the next 10 to extend its lead to five points, 52-47, with 11 minutes to play. The Redhawks countered with an 8-2 run to over the next four minutes to take a 55-54 with 6:53 to play. The game remained close as UVU led 62-61 with four minutes to go and then again 67-66 with 1:47 to go. UVU held a 69-68 lead with one minute remaining and outscored SU 9-4 over the final minute to secure the win. UVU knocked down 9 of 10 free throws in the last minute of the game.