JACKSONVILLE, Ala.—Dominick Nelson scored a team-high 20 points and Tanner Toolson added a season-high 19 points, but Utah Valley came up short in a 70-66 road loss to Jacksonville State on Saturday at the Pete Mathews Coliseum.
 
Utah Valley held a 48-42 advantage with 9:33 remaining, but a 17-2 run by the Gamecocks flipped the momentum, giving Jax State a 59-50 lead with 3:36 left to play. The Wolverines battled back to get within three points in the final minute, but Jacksonville State held on by knocking down key free throws in the closing seconds.
 
The game marked the first of three consecutive road contests for Utah Valley, which falls to 5-6 on the season. The Gamecocks improved to 6-4 overall with the win.
 
Nelson led the Wolverines with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-5 from long range. He also connected on 6-of-9 attempts from the free-throw line while adding three rebounds and an assist.
 
Toolson finished with 19 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. He matched Nelson at the line, going 6-of-9, while also pulling down a team-high eight rebounds and dishing out two assists.
 
Hayden Welling and Jackson Holcombe contributed off the bench with eight and six points, respectively.
 
Utah Valley shot 38.3% (23-of-60) from the field and 21.4% (6-of-28) from three-point range. Jacksonville State countered with 41.8% (23-of-55) shooting overall and an impressive 50% (8-of-16) clip from deep. The Gamecocks edged the Wolverines on the boards, 39-37, while UVU outscored Jax State 34-26 in the paint.
 
Jaron Pierre Jr. led all scorers with 26 points for the Gamecocks.
 
Utah Valley continues road play on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at Idaho State in Pocatello. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT. 
 
The Wolverines will then travel to Weber State on Dec. 21 before returning home to wrap up non-conference play against Bethesda on Dec. 28 at the UCCU Center.
 
How It Happened
First Half
Jacksonville State jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening 2:36, but Utah Valley responded with a 7-2 run to tie the game at 9-9 with 15:28 remaining in the half. The Gamecocks used a 14-5 stretch to take a 23-14 lead with 11 minutes on the clock.
 
Kylin Green and Trevan Leonhardt knocked down back-to-back threes to spark a 13-2 Wolverine run, giving UVU a 27-25 lead with three minutes to go in the half. Jacksonville State closed the period by outscoring UVU 7-4 to take a slim 32-31 lead into the break.
 
Second Half
The teams traded baskets early in the second half, with Jacksonville State clinging to a 40-39 lead at the 14:33 mark. A Toolson three-pointer fueled a 9-2 Wolverine run, giving UVU its largest lead of the game, 48-42, with 9:33 to play.
 
The Gamecocks responded with a decisive 17-2 surge over the next six minutes to take a 59-50 lead with 3:36 remaining. Utah Valley clawed back within four, 60-56, with 1:22 left, but Jax State stretched the lead to eight, 66-58, with under a minute to play.
 
Nelson drilled a clutch three-pointer to cut the deficit to three, 66-63, with 34 seconds remaining, but Jacksonville State converted its free throws down the stretch to secure the win.