OREM—Dominick Nelson scored 16 points to lead Utah Valley to a 64-53 win over Abilene Christian in the Wolverines' WAC opener on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.

The win marks Utah Valley's fourth straight, improving the team to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in WAC play. The Wolverines remain undefeated at home this season with a perfect 5-0 record, while Abilene Christian falls to 8-8 overall and 0-1 in conference action.

"Games against ACU are always a grind. They take you out of your offense and force you to figure things out on the fly," Phillips said. "I was proud of the way our guys responded defensively, especially in the second half, when we decided to buckle down, make stops, and play to our strengths inside. It's that toughness we need moving forward."

Nelson finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He added seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. 

"I feel like we started off slow," Nelson said. "But after halftime talks, we decided to play hard and give everything we had, and that came with easy transition buckets and blocks that led to the win."

Kylin Green also reached double figures with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists. 

"Kylin came off the bench and gave us a big spark offensively and defensively," Phillips said.

Carter Welling contributed nine points, six rebounds, and three blocks, while Osiris Grady tallied eight points and one block. Jackson Holcombe provided a spark off the bench with seven points.

Trevan Leonhardt orchestrated the offense with a game-high seven assists, four rebounds, four steals, and two points without a single turnover.

The Wolverines shot 46.9% (23-of-49) from the field while holding ACU to 32.2% (19-of-59) shooting. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with UVU hitting 1-of-9 (11.1%) and ACU going 1-of-10 (10%). Despite being outrebounded 41-36, Utah Valley dominated the interior, outscoring the Wildcats 40-22 in the paint. 

"We've been one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country, but tonight we got beat on the boards, and that just can't happen," he said. "We'll need to clean that up before Thursday."

Utah Valley returns to action on Thursday, hosting Grand Canyon in another WAC matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT, with the game broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Wolverines Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County, 98.3 FM/101.5 HD2 in Salt Lake County). 

"We're playing one of the best teams in the country. They were in the NCAA tournament last year and are picked to win our league. We need our crowd here because when our crowd's here, our energy is even better."

How It Happened
First Half
Utah Valley and Abilene Christian battled to a 6-6 tie through the opening six minutes. ACU then went on a 7-2 run to take a 13-8 lead with 11:27 remaining in the half. Holcombe broke the drought with a basket, igniting a 14-5 Wolverine run to put UVU ahead 22-18 with 4:20 left. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, with Utah Valley carrying a 28-24 lead into halftime.

Second Half
The Wolverines opened the second half with an 8-3 surge to extend their lead to 36-27 with 17 minutes to play. ACU responded with an 8-3 run to trim the deficit to 39-35 with 13:04 remaining. Grady's three-point play sparked an 8-2 spurt, pushing UVU's advantage to 47-37 at the 11:17 mark. Utah Valley maintained a steady lead, going up 55-45 with 4:46 left and outscoring ACU 9-8 in the closing minutes to seal the 64-53 win.