LAS VEGAS – Utah Valley continued its dominant stretch with a 74-57 victory over in-state rival No. 9 Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry at the WAC Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night at Orleans Arena. The win extends UVU's streak to nine games and improves the Wolverines' overall record to 24-7.

With the victory, top-seeded Utah Valley advances to Friday night's semifinal, where it will face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Abilene Christian and No. 5 Seattle U. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network.

Tanner Toolson led Utah Valley with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes and going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds and two assists. Carter Welling was also in double figures with 10 points, finishing just three rebounds shy of a double-double with seven boards while contributing three assists and two blocks. Off the bench, Osiris Grady added nine points and four rebounds, while Kylin Green and Ethan Potter provided a key spark with nine points each. Hayden Welling chipped in eight points and four rebounds, while WAC Player of the Year Dominick Nelson recorded six points and four boards.

UVU shot 46.2% (24-of-52) from the field and 28.6% (4-of-14) from three-point range while holding Utah Tech to just 31.1% (19-of-61) from the floor and 27.3% (6-of-22) from beyond the arc. The Wolverines dominated the paint with a 38-24 scoring advantage and outrebounded the Trailblazers 42-31. Utah Valley's depth proved to be a major factor, as the Wolverines' bench outscored Utah Tech's reserves 31-8.

"I'm proud of the guys," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "I thought we were aggressive tonight. In the first half, we settled a little bit and took some jumpers that didn't go down. We talked at halftime about attacking the basket, and the guys responded. We got to the line, put them in some foul trouble, and that was a big difference in the game."

The opening minutes of the game saw three lead changes, with Utah Tech taking a 10-6 advantage on a pair of three-pointers. UVU answered with an 11-2 run, capped by a pair of threes, to go up 17-12 with 11:45 remaining in the half. The Trailblazers fought back, trimming the Wolverines' lead to 20-17 with just over seven minutes to play. Utah Valley then closed the half strong, using an 11-5 run—sparked by Osiris Grady—to take a 31-22 lead into the break.

Toolson set the tone early in the second half, driving to the basket for an and-one to ignite a 7-2 run that pushed UVU's lead to 14 at 38-24. Utah Tech responded with a quick five-point spurt to cut the deficit to single digits, but Utah Valley countered with a 7-3 run—all scored by Ethan Potter—to reclaim a 14-point cushion. The Trailblazers pulled within nine, 48-39, with 11:49 remaining, but UVU answered with a 10-4 run, highlighted by a Carter Welling alley-oop jam, to extend the lead back to 13. Utah Valley put the game away over the final five minutes, outscoring Utah Tech 11-3 to push the lead to as many as 21.

Toolson provided one of the game's highlight moments with a deep three-pointer from the logo as the shot clock expired. "I looked at the clock when Trev (Trevan Leonhardt) had the ball at the top of the key, and it was at about eight or nine seconds," Toolson said. "I knew he might need an outlet, so I wrapped around, saw two seconds on the clock, and just let it fly. I figured I wouldn't get yelled at for that one."

Facing Utah Tech for the third time this season, Welling acknowledged the intensity of the in-state battle. "It's a rivalry game," Welling said. "They always play hard, and there's a little bit of bragging rights on the table. It's really tough to beat a team three times, so we had to be prepared and do what was necessary to come out with the win."

UVU's bench played a pivotal role in keeping the lead intact down the stretch. "I think our bench guys have been huge for us all season," Toolson said. "This is nothing new. We're deep, and they stepped up big when we were stretching the lead. Without them, we wouldn't be in this position."

Phillips also praised Ethan Potter's performance off the bench. "He got to the line seven or eight times, and I joked with him because every free throw hit the front of the rim before going in," Phillips said. "But he was great tonight. He rebounded, scored at the rim, and really made an impact."

Utah Valley moves on to face the winner of Abilene Christian and Seattle U in Friday's WAC Tournament semifinal at Orleans Arena. The game tips off at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT and will be aired live on ESPN+ and the Wolverine Sports Network.