CANCÚN, Mexico—Utah Valley used a dominant second half and a balanced offensive attack to roll past South Dakota State, 75-52, on Tuesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in its second game of the Cancún Challenge.
Utah Valley improves to 4-2 overall and moves to 2-0 in the Cancún Challenge. The Wolverines opened the event with a 79-72 win over UC Irvine on Saturday at the campus site in Orem.
Trevan Leonhardt led three Wolverines in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while adding five rebounds and four assists. Tyler Hendricks also scored 16 points and connected on four three-pointers. Braden Housley rounded out the trio in double figures with 15 points, seven rebounds and a perfect 6-for-6 effort at the free-throw line. Isaac Hawkins came off the bench to add nine points and five boards.
Utah Valley shot 46.8 percent (29 of 62) from the field and 33.3 percent (8 of 24) from three-point range. South Dakota State was held to 33.3 percent (18 of 54) shooting and just 15.4 percent (4 of 26) from behind the arc. UVU outrebounded the Jackrabbits 38-33 and outscored them 40-22 in the paint.
"I thought our defense was fantastic tonight," Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips said. "We were a little rushed offensively in the first half, but we settled in and competed. This team is growing up, and I'm proud of how they fought. We've been successful inside, and that was something we wanted to stay committed to."
Utah Valley raced out to a 9-0 lead in the opening minutes, sparked by baskets from Leonhardt and Hendricks and a transition finish from Housley. The Wolverines pushed the advantage to 11 before taking a 29-24 lead into halftime.
"We got going early in the paint and stayed aggressive," Phillips said. "That's where we've been really effective."
The Wolverines broke the game open early in the second half with a 14-4 run fueled by threes from Hendricks and Leonhardt, along with interior scoring from Isaac Davis and Housley. UVU later used a 10-0 spurt to build a 57-39 lead, highlighted by a Leonhardt transition three, a Hawkins tip-in and a Hendricks driving finish.
Leonhardt said the team found its rhythm after halftime.
"We adjusted well in the second half and finally got to where we wanted offensively," Leonhardt said. "Once we moved the ball, we got open shots. It was a good win, and we'll be ready for tomorrow."
Housley added that defensive energy set the tone.
"We wanted to come out aggressive, and we did that on the defensive end," Housley said. "Free throws have been a big emphasis lately, so it felt good to knock those down."
Phillips also praised the team's effort with another game less than 24 hours away.
"These guys are young — they can run all day," Phillips said. "We're going to play to win until the buzzer, and then we'll get them ready for tomorrow."
Utah Valley will wrap up its appearance at the Cancún Challenge on Wednesday against Samford. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. MT.
