OREM — Isaac Davis scored a career-high 18 points to lead four Wolverines in double figures as Utah Valley claimed a 79-72 win over future Big West foe UC Irvine on Wednesday night in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge at the UCCU Center.
Utah Valley improves to 3-2 overall and extends its home winning streak to 15 games. UC Irvine drops to 3-2.
Davis scored his 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding five assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Jackson Holcombe notched his third double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. He also added three blocks, three steals and five assists.
Trevan Leonhardt recorded a career-high 15 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He shot 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 at the free-throw line. Hayden Welling also reached double figures with 14 points, including a pair of key second-half threes.
Utah Valley shot 51.7 percent (31 of 60) from the field and 42.9 percent (6 of 14) from behind the arc. UC Irvine was limited to 39.7 percent (25 of 63) shooting and 28.6 percent (6 of 21) from three. The Wolverines outrebounded the Anteaters 43-35 and outscored them 50-30 in the paint.
"I'm really proud of our guys," Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips said. "I think we learned a little bit from Fresno. Really similar game in a lot of ways — they made a run, we responded, and we executed a little bit stronger down the stretch. We got a couple of stops and found a way to finish it."
Utah Valley raced out to a 10-0 lead in the opening three minutes on baskets from Davis and Leonhardt and a putback dunk by Tyler Hendricks. The Wolverines pushed the advantage to 16-4 with 13:28 left, but UC Irvine chipped away, trimming the margin to 31-27 at halftime.
"We did a good job not letting them all the way back in early," Phillips said. "But we missed some free throws that became empty possessions, and that let them reel us in a bit before halftime."
The Anteaters opened the second half with a 6-3 spurt to pull within 34-33. After trading baskets, UC Irvine took its first lead at 45-44 with 13:10 remaining. Welling answered with back-to-back threes to put UVU back in front, 53-47, at the 10:47 mark.
UC Irvine tied the game at 58-58 with 7:26 to go before the Wolverines regained control with a 9-3 run to take a 71-65 lead. Utah Valley outscored the Anteaters 8-7 over the final minutes and hit free throws late to close out the win.
Davis' inside presence in the second half proved crucial.
"That was Isaac's best game, and I think he can do that every night," Phillips said. "He's so big and long and finishes at the rim. For him to step up and do that really lightens the load for us offensively."
Phillips also praised Holcombe, Welling, and Leonhardt for their all-around contributions.
"Jackson is our guy — how he goes is how we go," Phillips said. "Hayden hit two huge threes, and Trevan just keeps progressing. He rebounds, he guards, and he gets downhill. He was tremendous tonight."
Hendricks' defensive impact also stood out despite a quiet scoring night.
"He really guards and rebounds," Phillips said. "He's hard to take off the floor because he can hit a three at any time, and he's so solid defensively."
Utah Valley now heads on the road for four straight games, beginning with the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The Wolverines will face South Dakota State and Samford on Nov. 25–26.
