OREM—Tanner Toolson and Hayden Welling each scored a game-high 15 points to lead Utah Valley to a decisive 92-57 victory over Western Colorado in the team's season opener Monday night at the UCCU Center.
 
"It was a good first game," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "We have a lot of young guys who were excited to play. I thought we did some good things and got better in the second half. We did some silly stuff, but that's just nerves and excitement."
 
Utah Valley opens the season 1-0 and will continue play at the UCCU Center on Saturday against UTEP, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
 
Four Wolverines scored in double figures. Toolson and Welling each had 15 points, while Dominick Nelson and Carter Welling added 13 points apiece.
 
Toolson scored his 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds and a block. Welling was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, including one three-pointer, and added three rebounds, one assist, and a block. Nelson tallied 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a three-pointer, while also grabbing six rebounds, one assist, and a block. Carter Welling contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and a game-high five blocks.
 
Ethan Potter came close to a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds.
 
Utah Valley dominated the glass, outrebounding Western Colorado 43-24 and outscoring the Mountaineers 52-30 in the paint. The Wolverines also dished out 24 assists on 33 made field goals.
 
UVU shot an efficient 61.1% (33-of-54) from the field and 36.8% (7-of-19) from long range, while holding Western Colorado to 35.7% (20-of-56) from the field and 21.4% (3-of-14) from three-point range. UVU shut down Western Colorado from beyond the arc in the second half, allowing no three-pointers.
 
Utah Valley will take on UTEP at home on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the Wolverines Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County and 98.3 FM/101.5 FM HD2 in Salt Lake).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Utah Valley opened strong, outscoring Western Colorado 13-2 in the first 5:38. The Mountaineers answered with a 7-0 run, cutting UVU's lead to 15-9 with 11:57 left in the half. Western Colorado trimmed the gap to three, 20-17, at the 10-minute mark, but UVU responded with an 11-0 run, stretching its lead to 31-17 with 5:41 to play. Back-to-back baskets by Hayden Welling helped the Wolverines go on another run, extending the lead to 42-21 just before the half. UVU went into the break with the lead, 42-23.

Second Half
The teams traded early baskets, but a pair of threes by Toolson and a dunk from Potter sparked a 14-0 UVU run, giving the Wolverines a 57-27 lead with 14:18 remaining. UVU maintained a 30-point advantage through the midpoint of the second half and stretched the lead to 38 points, 84-46, with under four minutes left. Western Colorado outscored UVU slightly in the closing minutes, but the Wolverines held on comfortably to secure a 92-57 win.