LAS VEGAS— Tanner Toolson scored a career-high 28 points and Carter Welling added 18 to lead Utah Valley in an 89-82 loss to Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament championship game on Saturday night at Orleans Arena.

Grand Canyon snapped Utah Valley's 10-game win streak as the Wolverines fell to 25-8 overall. GCU earned the WAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

"It was a heck of a ball game," said head coach Todd Phillips. "Two big-time teams going at it. I'm really proud of our guys tonight. They fought through adversity and made a lot of big plays. Grand Canyon made a couple more big plays than we did, and we've got to be a little bit better from the foul line. That was big. We won the rebound battle, but we just couldn't get the stops we needed in the second half. We came up short, but I'm really proud of the way we fought."

Utah Valley will continue its season in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) as one of the tournament's automatic bids.

Toolson scored his career-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including a career-best six three-pointers. He also pulled down eight rebounds and tallied two assists in 38 minutes of play.

"It hurts, obviously, something we've dreamed of our whole lives," said Toolson. "But the best thing for us is turning the page. We got more games ahead of us. Obviously, the goal of winning my championship is over, but we got the NIT coming up soon, and I'm excited to see if what we can do there."

Welling scored 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including a 5-of-7 mark from the free throw line. He added six rebounds and two assists.

"We're still regular season champions," said Welling. "We did lose tonight in the tournament, but we did something that no other Utah Valley team has ever done. I think what this group can do is special, and I think what the last UVU team (2023) did in the NIT is also very special. We're a team to be feared, and moving forward, we'll focus on the next game, whoever it is, and play our best basketball."

Trevan Leonhardt also reached double figures with 10 points, along with six assists, two rebounds, and a steal.

Dominick Nelson scored nine points, while Ethan Potter came off the bench to add six.

Utah Valley shot 46.6% (27-of-58) from the field, including 47.4% (9-of-19) from three. The Wolverines were 67.9% (19-of-28) from the charity stripe. Grand Canyon shot 51.9% (28-of-54) from the floor and 35.3% (6-of-17) from beyond the arc. The Lopes shot 81.8% (27-of-33) from the free throw line.

UVU outrebounded GCU 32-31 but lost the battle in the paint, 42-30. GCU's bench outscored UVU's 24-15.

Toolson and Welling were each named to the WAC All-Tournament Team.

Utah Valley will now prepare for national postseason play in the NIT. The Wolverines' first-round opponent, date, and time will be announced following the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday afternoon. This will mark UVU's third appearance in the NIT and its second in the past three seasons.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Grand Canyon took an early 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game. Utah Valley responded with a 13-2 run, including three three-pointers, to take a 13-7 lead with 15:09 on the clock. The Wolverines extended their lead to 19-10 with a 6-3 run, capped by a pair of free throws, with 11:48 to go in the half. GCU countered with an 11-2 run over the next 2:29 to tie the game at 21-21 with 9:21 remaining. The teams exchanged leads four times and were tied once before GCU took a 33-30 lead with 4:25 to go. The Lopes closed the half with a 7-3 run to take a 40-33 lead into the break.

Second Half
GCU extended its lead to 46-36 in the first 2:30 of the second half. The Lopes stretched their lead to 52-41 with 15:15 remaining, but UVU responded with six unanswered points to cut the GCU lead to 52-47 at the 13:55 mark. UVU pulled as close as 61-58 with nine minutes to play, but GCU quickly answered with five unanswered points to push their lead to 66-58 with 7:52 left. The Lopes then extended their lead to 74-62 with 3:15 remaining. The Wolverines mounted a short 5-2 run to get back within single digits, 76-67, with two minutes left. Utah Valley could only get as close as five points the rest of the way as GCU secured the win.