STEPHENVILLE, Texas—
Aziz Bandaogo scored 11 points with seven rebounds and five blocks to lead Utah Valley in a 77-58 setback to Tarleton on Thursday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas.
The loss snaps a five-game win streak for the Wolverines who fall to 21-7 overall and 12-3 in WAC play. UVU still holds a one-game lead over Sam Houston in the WAC standings with three games left to play.
Bandaogo's five swats on the night gives him 83 blocks on the season, which is the most blocks in a season in UVU history. The 83 blocks surpass Emanuel Olojapoke's previous single season record of 81 blocks set during the 2019-20 season.
Bandaogo scored nine of his 11 points at the free throw line as he knocked down 9-of-10 shots at the charity stripe. He was just three rebounds shy of a double-double with seven boards.
Le'Tre Darthard also scored 11 points, connecting on 2-of-7 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 shots from the free throw line.
Justin Harmon and
Trey Woodbury were also in double figures with 10 points each.
Tahj Small added six points.
Utah Valley shot a season-low 31.8 percent (14-44) from the floor and 22.2 percent (4-18) from three-point range. Tarleton shot 31.7 percent (19-60) from the field with a 29.4 percent (5-17) from three.
The Wolverines were outrebounded 39-38 on the night. UVU committed 19 turnovers which turned into 22 Tarleton points.
After taking a 2-0 lead to open the game, Utah Valley never led again in the first half as the Wolverines struggled to make shots, connecting on a season-low 2-of-17 shots from the field. Despite the poor shooting, Utah Valley trailed by only five points, 22-17, with 4:29 to play in the first half. Tarleton then used a 13-3 run the rest of the way to take a 35-20 lead into the break.
Tarleton extended its lead to as many as 21 points, 56-35, with 10:12 remaining in the game. Utah Valley then used a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to cut the Texans lead to 12 points, 60-48, with five minutes left to play. Tarleton then outscored the Wolverines 17-10 to secure the 77-58 win.
Utah Valley will continue WAC road play in Texas as the team travels to Abilene to take on Abilene Christian on Saturday at Moody Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. MT
