RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Dominick Nelson matched a career high with 25 points to lead Utah Valley to its ninth-straight win, defeating California Baptist 74-69 on Thursday night at the Fowler Events Center in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

With the win, the Wolverines complete a season sweep of the Lancers, having also defeated CBU 75-69 in Orem on Jan. 11. Utah Valley improves to 14-6 overall and remains perfect in WAC play at 6-0. The Wolverines' nine-game winning streak dates back to a road victory at Idaho State on Dec. 18. California Baptist falls to 9-10 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

"Yeah, just, you know, another great battle with Cal Baptist," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "That's how they always are."

Trailing 37-25 at halftime, the Wolverines stormed back with a 22-9 run over the first 6:30 of the second half to take their first lead since early in the game, 47-46, with 13:35 to play. After falling behind briefly, Nelson hit a three-pointer to tie the game, 50-50, sparking a 10-2 UVU run that gave the Wolverines a 60-52 lead with 8:40 remaining.

"You know, I thought our guys responded in the second half," said Phillips. "I wish I didn't have to get on them and yell and throw pins and slap the board every time at halftime, but I'll keep doing it if the guys keep responding. I mean, just a huge second half for us."

Utah Valley led by as many as six points late, but CBU cut the deficit to one, 68-67, with 2:52 to play. Nelson then calmly sank four free throws, and Carter Welling sealed the game with a dunk as the Wolverines closed on a 6-2 run to secure the victory.

"We scored 49 points in the second half to their 32 and, you know, kind of got about the 10-minute mark there," Phillips said. "We got the lead a little bit, and then they kind of tried to guard and defend and do the right things, which was really big for us down the stretch."

Nelson matched his career high with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including a career-best 4-of-5 performance from three-point range. He added seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Tanner Toolson finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including two threes, and grabbed five rebounds. Welling and Jackson Holcombe also reached double figures with 11 points each, while Ethan Potter came off the bench to score eight.

Utah Valley shot 45% (27-of-60) from the field and 37.5% (6-of-16) from beyond the arc, while California Baptist shot 43.5% (27-of-62) overall and 40% (8-of-20) from three. The Lancers outrebounded the Wolverines 43-32, but UVU held a 42-34 advantage in points in the paint.

"You know, I think they beat us on the boards, which hasn't happened in a while, but I think our resilience was there in the second half," said Phillips. "We probably, I think, beat them in the second half, which was huge in our run."

The Wolverines continue WAC road play at Seattle U on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and carried on the Wolverine Sports Network and ESPN 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 California Baptist played to a 6-6 tie early before the Lancers went on a 7-0 run to take a 13-6 lead. CBU extended its advantage to 24-16 with 9:24 remaining in the half, but UVU responded with a 9-4 run to trim the deficit to 28-25 with 5:55 to play. The Lancers closed the half on a 9-0 run, taking a 37-25 lead into the break.

Second Half
The Wolverines opened the second half with a 10-3 run to cut the CBU lead to 40-35. UVU eventually regained the lead, 47-46, at the 13:35 mark as part of a 13-4 run that put the Wolverines up 54-50 with 10:37 to play. Utah Valley extended its lead to 62-57 with 7:16 remaining. After CBU pulled within one, 68-67, with under three minutes to go, Nelson hit four clutch free throws, and Welling's late dunk sealed the 74-69 victory.