FRESNO, Calif.—Jackson Holcombe's contested shot at the buzzer didn't fall, and Utah Valley dropped a 75–74 road decision at Fresno State on Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center.
Utah Valley falls to 2–2 on the season, while Fresno State improves to 3–2.
Tied 72–72 with just over a minute remaining, Holcombe scored at the rim to give the Wolverines a 74–72 lead with 50 seconds left. Fresno State's DeShawn Gory answered with a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs ahead 75–74 with 22 seconds to play. Holcombe drove on the final possession and had his shot blocked at the horn, and no foul was called as Fresno State escaped with the win.
Utah Valley got off to a strong start, using a 12–4 run, sparked by buckets from Isaac Davis and back-to-back threes from Braden Housley and Tyler Hendricks, to build a 16–8 lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. After the Bulldogs cut the margin to one, UVU responded with an 11–2 surge capped by a Sherman Weatherspoon IV three to go up 29–19. The Wolverines led 40–33 at halftime.
Fresno State opened the second half on a 10–2 run to take a 43–42 lead before UVU countered with a 10–2 stretch of its own, highlighted by a Trevan Leonhardt three and a Holcombe and-one finish. The Wolverines held a 62–55 advantage with 10:41 remaining before the Bulldogs scored six straight to close within one. The game remained tight the rest of the way, with five lead changes in the final four minutes.
Hayden Welling led Utah Valley with 17 points, one shy of his career high, on 6-of-12 shooting. He added three steals and two rebounds. Holcombe finished with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Leonhardt tallied 10 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, while Hendricks added 10 points and five boards.
Utah Valley shot 52 percent (26-of-50) from the field and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from three. Fresno State shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) overall and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from beyond the arc. UVU held a 36–30 advantage in paint points and outrebounded the Bulldogs 29–28.
The Wolverines return home to the UCCU Center on Wednesday night to host future Big West foe UC Irvine. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The game is part of the Cancun Challenge, held Nov. 25–26 in Cancun, Mexico.
