POCATELLO, Idaho — Carter Welling scored a career-high 23 points with nine rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 70-56 road win over Idaho State on Wednesday night at Reed Gym.

The win evens Utah Valley's record at 6-6 overall, while Idaho State falls to 5-6 after suffering its first home loss of the season.

Trailing 43-39 with 16 minutes remaining, the Wolverines surged ahead with a 16-5 run over the next eight minutes to take a 55-48 lead they would not relinquish. UVU closed out the game by outscoring the Bengals 15-8 down the stretch to secure the 14-point victory.

"It was a tremendous battle on both ends, and it was a war in the trenches," said UVU head coach Todd Phillips. "It wasn't pretty, but it was great for our guys to come out victorious. Idaho State is the top rebounding team in the country, and we held them to just nine offensive rebounds. Really proud of the effort tonight."

Welling led the way, scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a three-pointer, and a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the free throw line. He added nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist, finishing just shy of a double-double.

"He's a warrior out there," Phillips said of Welling. "He's still a little banged up and out of shape because he hasn't been able to practice, but I'm really proud of him tonight. He had a great game for us."

Dominick Nelson added 14 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-8 at the stripe, while Jackson Holcombe chipped in a career-high 12 points off the bench to go along with seven rebounds.

"Jackson Holcombe was huge for us," Phillips said. "He's one of our tough guys, and his physicality down low was big. He had four offensive rebounds and 12 points, but more than that, the defensive effort from our bench was a big key tonight."

Utah Valley shot 43.8% (28-of-64) from the floor while holding Idaho State to 35.2% (19-of-54). The Wolverines also outscored the Bengals 44-26 in the paint, a critical factor in the win.

"The war in the paint was big," said Phillips. "We won that 44-26, and I think that was a huge part of the victory tonight."

Utah Valley nearly matched the Bengals on the boards, 39-36, despite Idaho State entering the game leading the nation in rebound margin.

Utah Valley returns to action on Saturday in Ogden to take on in-state rival Weber State at the Dee Events Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the game airing live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County, 98.3 FM/101.5 HD2 in Salt Lake County).

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Utah Valley and Idaho State played to a 9-9 tie through the first six minutes of the game. The two teams then swapped buckets through three lead changes over the next six minutes to a 17-17 tie with eight minutes to play in the half. Carter Welling then scored five straight points to spark an 11-3 UVU run over the next four minutes to take a 28-20 lead with four minutes to go. The Bengals then scored seven of the next nine points to cut the UVU lead to just three points, 30-27, with 3:21 on the clock. UVU outscored ISU 5-4 over the final 3:18 of the half to take a 35-31 lead into the break.

Second Half
Idaho State started the second half strong by outscoring the Wolverines 12-4 over the first four minutes to take a 43-39 lead with 16:11 on the clock. UVU responded by scoring seven of the next nine points, capped off by a Nelson dunk, as part of a 16-5 Wolverine run over a 7:51 span to give Utah Valley a seven-point 55-48 lead with nine minutes to go. Utah Valley then outscored ISU 15-8 over the final nine minutes to secure the 70-56 win.