BIRMINGHAM, Alabama—Dominick Nelson scored a team-high 21 points and Carter Welling recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley in an 84-76 road loss to Samford on Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Utah Valley falls to 4-2 on the season, while Samford improves to 6-2 and extends its home winning streak to 23 games, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.
 
Utah Valley managed Samford's full-court press effectively for much of the game but struggled with it down the stretch. The Wolverines built a 15-point lead, 57-42, with 16 minutes to play, but an 18-3 Samford run in the final 5:11 helped the Bulldogs secure the win. UVU committed 23 turnovers, leading to 35 points for Samford, as the Wolverines were outscored 42-19 in the closing minutes.
 
Nelson matched his career high with 21 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 7-of-8 at the free throw line. He added seven rebounds, one block, one assist, and a steal in 37 minutes of play.
 
Welling registered his second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, along with two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
 
Tanner Toolson added 15 points, including three three-pointers. He also pulled down three rebounds and dished out three assists.
 
Trevan Leonhardt was perfect from the field, scoring 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 1-of-1 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. He flirted with a triple-double, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds, dishing out seven assists, and collecting four steals.
 
The Wolverines shot an impressive 50% (29-of-58) from the field and 29.4% (5-of-17) from three-point range but struggled at the free throw line, going 65% (13-of-20). Samford shot 47.9% (34-of-71) from the floor and 35.7% (10-of-28) from beyond the arc.
 
UVU outrebounded Samford 41-32.
 
Utah Valley wraps up play at the Samford Thanksgiving Invitational on Thursday against North Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network (103.9 FM/960 AM in Utah County and 98.3 FM/105.1 HD2 FM in Salt Lake County).
 
How It Happened
First Half
Utah Valley and Samford were tied 11-11 three minutes into the game. Back-to-back buckets by Nelson sparked an 8-0 UVU run, giving the Wolverines a 19-11 lead with 15 minutes left in the half. UVU extended its lead to 33-21 on a two-handed dunk from Potter and a pair of free throws from Nelson with 8:24 to go. The Wolverines held a 38-26 lead with 4:11 remaining, but Samford outscored UVU 12-5 over the final four minutes, including a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, trimming the Wolverines' lead to 43-38 at the break.

Second Half
UVU started the second half strong, outscoring Samford 14-4 in the first four minutes to take a 57-42 lead with 16 minutes to play. The Bulldogs responded with a 9-2 run, cutting UVU's lead to 59-51 at the 12:41 mark. A three-pointer from Leonhardt and a layup by Nelson pushed UVU's lead back to 13, 64-51, with 11:52 left. Samford countered with a 13-4 run to close the gap to 68-64 with 6:41 to play. The Bulldogs' full-court pressure continued to disrupt UVU's rhythm, forcing turnovers that fueled their comeback. Samford pulled within three points, 73-70, with under four minutes remaining before sealing the game with an 18-3 run over the final minutes.