SAN FRANCISCO—Carter Welling recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Tanner Toolson added 14 points to lead Utah Valley in a 79-70 loss to San Francisco in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night at War Memorial at The Sobrato Center.

Utah Valley concludes its season with a 25-9 record, including an impressive 15-1 mark in WAC play that helped the Wolverines secure the outright WAC regular season championship. UVU won 20 of its last 23 games and made its third appearance in the NIT.

The Wolverines trailed by as many as 14 points early in the second half, 48-34, with 17:49 remaining. UVU later faced a 12-point deficit, 60-48, with 11:38 to play before rallying with a 13-0 run over six minutes to take a 61-60 lead with just under six minutes left. However, San Francisco immediately regained the lead, 62-61, and closed the game with a 19-9 run to secure the win.

Welling scored his 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from beyond the arc. He added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Toolson scored his 14 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, adding three field goals.

Trevan Leonhardt finished with six points, five assists, four steals, and three rebounds. Leonhardt's five assists brought his season total to 178, making him UVU's all-time single-season assists leader, surpassing Trey Woodbury's record of 174 set during the 2022-23 season.

Hayden Welling added six points off the bench with three rebounds and a block, while Ethan Potter and Dominick Nelson chipped in five points each.

Utah Valley shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field and just 19 percent (4-of-21) from three-point range. San Francisco finished shooting 44.6 percent (29-of-65) overall, including 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from deep.

The Dons held a slight 41-40 rebounding edge, but Utah Valley dominated the paint, outscoring USF 40-24.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
San Francisco opened with a 10-3 run over the first five minutes. UVU responded with a 14-3 surge, including nine points from Carter Welling and three free throws from Toolson, taking a 17-13 lead with 11:16 left in the half. After a tight exchange, UVU led 23-22 at the 7:10 mark. USF then used a 13-3 run to lead 35-26 with two minutes remaining. The Wolverines closed the half strong, cutting the deficit to 37-32 at the break.

Second Half
USF started quickly, extending the lead to 48-34 less than three minutes into the half. UVU answered with a 12-4 run capped by an Osiris Grady dunk, cutting the lead to 52-46 with 13:45 remaining. After USF rebuilt a 10-point lead, 60-50, Utah Valley stormed back with 11 straight points to take a 61-60 advantage at the 5:47 mark. San Francisco reclaimed the lead immediately and finished strong, extending its advantage to 10 points, 77-67, with 1:15 left, securing the 79-70 victory.