BOISE, Idaho — Jackson Holcombe poured in a career-high 22 points, but Utah Valley couldn't overcome Boise State's second-half surge in a 101-77 setback on Saturday afternoon at ExtraMile Arena.
Utah Valley moves to 1-1 on the season, while Boise State evens its record at 1-1. The Wolverines return to the UCCU Center to host Westminster on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Boise State opened the game on a 5-0 run before Holcombe and Isaac Davis answered with back-to-back buckets to cut the lead to 5-4. After the Broncos pushed the lead to eight, Utah Valley responded with an 11-10 spurt to make it a 32-25 game with 5:42 left in the half. UVU trimmed the deficit to 38-33 on a Holcombe layup with 2:37 remaining, but Boise State closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 46-35 lead into the break.
The Broncos carried that momentum into the second half with another 8-2 run to stretch the lead to 17. A three from Tyler Hendricks and free throw from Holcombe cut the margin back to 13, but Boise State answered again to push the lead to 20. Utah Valley strung together a 7-2 run—highlighted by a Hayden Welling jumper and a Noah Taitz three—to make it 63-48 with 11:51 to play, but the Wolverines could get no closer.
"We fouled too much," UVU head coach Todd Phillips said. "They're big and physical inside, and when you march a great foul-shooting team to the line like that, it's hard to get stops. It felt like every time we tried to make a run, we put them back on the line."
Holcombe led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including an 8-of-11 mark at the line. He added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
Welling finished with 12 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Davis, Trevan Leonhardt, and Isaac Hawkins each chipped in eight points, while Hendricks added six.
Utah Valley shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field but went just 4-for-19 from deep. Boise State shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) overall and 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from beyond the arc.
"We need to knock down more shots," Phillips said. "We were fine from two, but 4-of-19 from three isn't going to get it done. We have to be more consistent in the half court, move the ball side to side, and stay disciplined."
Boise State outrebounded UVU 32-25 and scored 29 points off 16 Wolverine turnovers.
Phillips said he saw important growth from his young roster.
"We have a lot of guys who haven't played Division I basketball, and these minutes matter," Phillips said. "Some guys battled. We shared the ball well. It's about growth right now—learning how tough road games feel and bouncing back."
Utah Valley hosts in-state Division II foe Westminster on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+ and on the Wolverine Sports Network (ESPN The Fan).
