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Utah Valley University Athletics

Home of the Utah Valley University Wolverines
Tanner Toolson at Utah Tech
Bailey Chamberlain
79
Winner Utah Valley UVU 19-7,11-1 WAC
77
Utah Tech UTTECH 6-20,2-9 WAC
Winner
Utah Valley UVU
19-7,11-1 WAC
79
Final
77
Utah Tech UTTECH
6-20,2-9 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Utah Valley UVU 42 26 11 79
Utah Tech UTTECH 33 35 9 77

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Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Toolson’s Late Bucket Lifts Utah Valley to 79-77 Overtime Win at Utah Tech

ST. GEORGE— Tanner Toolson hit the game-winning shot with 26 seconds left in overtime, capping a season-high-tying 24-point performance to lead Utah Valley to a 79-77 road win over Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry on Thursday night at Burns Arena.

The victory marks UVU's 14th in its last 15 games, improving the Wolverines to 19-7 overall and 11-1 in WAC play, where they remain alone atop the standings. UVU also completed the season sweep over Utah Tech, having defeated the Trailblazers 96-80 on Jan. 18.

Utah Valley built a commanding 40-20 lead with just over six minutes left in the first half, but Utah Tech rallied to force overtime. Toolson, who scored 14 of his 24 points in the opening half, delivered in the clutch, sinking a go-ahead shot in the lane with 26 seconds to play, securing UVU's fourth straight win.

"My heart rate is through my head," said UVU head coach Todd Phillips. "These rivalry games are battles. We had them down big early, but we've got to do the little things to put teams away. Credit to Utah Tech—they made a run and kept fighting."

Toolson finished 8-of-16 from the field, matching a career high with five three-pointers while going a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

Carter Welling contributed 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, while adding eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.

Dominick Nelson added 11 points, eight boards, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Jackson Holcombe provided a spark off the bench with nine points, six rebounds, and three blocks.

Despite the win, free-throw shooting remained an issue for UVU, as the Wolverines hit just 7-of-16 (43.8%) from the line.

"I don't have an answer," Phillips said. "We spend a bunch of time working on it, but we'll just keep getting our guys ready. Carter hit three threes—maybe we should have him step back and shoot free throws from there."

UVU shot 49.2% (31-of-63) from the field and 52.6% (10-of-19) from three, while Utah Tech hit 40.6% (26-of-64) overall and 50% (12-of-24) from beyond the arc. The Trailblazers outrebounded the Wolverines 40-36, but UVU dominated the paint, outscoring Utah Tech 38-18 inside.

The win guarantees UVU no worse than the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament.

"To be honest, I kind of know where we're at," Phillips said. "But I'm just trying to get our guys better. It's a tough stretch—we've got four games left, and we've got to continue improving every night."

Utah Valley returns home to face Seattle U on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. MT, with the game airing live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County, 98.3 FM/101.5 HD2 in Salt Lake County).

How It Happened

First Half
Utah Valley stormed out to a 22-2 lead in the first six minutes, with Toolson hitting his first three shots, including two from long range. Utah Tech answered with an 11-4 run to trim the deficit to 26-13 with 11:32 left in the half.

A Noah Taitz three-pointer ignited a 14-7 UVU run, including two threes from Welling, pushing the lead to 40-20 with 7:15 to go. The Trailblazers responded with an 8-0 spurt and closed the half on a 13-4 run, cutting UVU's lead to 42-33 at the break. Toolson led all scorers at the half with 14 points.

Second Half
Utah Tech continued to chip away, opening the half on an 8-4 run to pull within five, 46-41, at the 16:48 mark. UVU extended the lead to 50-43 on a Toolson layup, but the Trailblazers answered with a three to make it 50-46 with 13:17 remaining.

The Wolverines stretched the lead back to double digits, 58-47, following an 8-1 run capped by a Welling tomahawk dunk. But Utah Tech responded with a 10-1 surge, closing within two, 59-57, with 5:30 left.

The Blazers eventually took their first lead, 62-61, with 4:05 to play. Nelson's three-pointer pushed UVU back ahead 66-64 with 2:25 remaining, but UTU tied it at the free-throw line with 1:42 left. Both teams exchanged baskets before Nelson's potential game-winner at the buzzer rimmed out, sending the game to overtime tied at 68.

"I thought we had a couple of breakdowns late," Phillips said. "We got up three, then gave up a three. We circled that these guys are a great three-point shooting team, and they hit 12 of them tonight. Every time we went under and broke our defensive plan, they made us pay."

Overtime
Toolson opened the extra period with back-to-back threes, giving UVU a 74-69 advantage. Utah Tech responded with a three of its own to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 2:38 to play. Holcombe then converted a three-point play to make it 77-72, but the Blazers answered with another three to trim the margin to 77-75 with 1:52 left.

After Utah Tech tied the game at 77-77 with 57 seconds remaining, Toolson banked in a runner with 26 seconds to go, putting UVU up 79-77. The Trailblazers had a final look from three at the buzzer, but the shot missed, sealing the Wolverines' road win.

"We've done it all year long—just find ways to gut it out and win," Phillips said. "Tanner was so good all night, but then he was on the bench for what felt like a hundred minutes. When he got back in, he found a way to get it done."

With a quick turnaround, the Wolverines will return home overnight before facing Seattle U less than 48 hours later.

"We'll bus home tonight, get them some rest, do a little walk-through tomorrow, and turn around and play Saturday," Phillips said. "Nobody feels sorry for you, so we'll be ready to get after it."



 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Jackson Holcombe

#2 Jackson Holcombe

G
6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Tanner Toolson

#5 Tanner Toolson

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Carter Welling

#22 Carter Welling

F
6' 10"
Sophomore
Dominick Nelson

#0 Dominick Nelson

G
6' 5"
Junior
Noah Taitz

#7 Noah Taitz

G
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Jackson Holcombe

#2 Jackson Holcombe

6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Tanner Toolson

#5 Tanner Toolson

6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Carter Welling

#22 Carter Welling

6' 10"
Sophomore
F
Dominick Nelson

#0 Dominick Nelson

6' 5"
Junior
G
Noah Taitz

#7 Noah Taitz

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
G

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