OREM—Trevan Leonhardt scored a career-high 26 points and Isaac Davis added a career-best 23 to lead Utah Valley to a 92–76 win over in-state foe Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center, extending the Wolverines' home win streak to 21 games.
Utah Valley improves to 14–4 overall and 4–1 in WAC play with the victory. The Wolverines' 21-game home run ranks as the fifth-longest active home win streak in the nation. Utah Tech falls to 9–9 overall and 2–2 in league play.
Both sides traded early blows and played to a 5–5 tie through the first three minutes before a Davis layup and a Tyler Hendricks three-pointer sparked a 10–0 run to give UVU a 15–5 lead with 13:09 remaining in the first half. The Trailblazers responded with a 15–5 surge of their own to draw even, 25–25, with 4:24 left in the half. Utah Valley steadied late and took a 31–30 lead into the break.
Utah Tech briefly went up 40–39 early in the second half before a Davis and-one ignited a decisive 14–2 Utah Valley run, capped by a Leonhardt and-one finish to push the lead to 53–42 with 14:25 to play. The Trailblazers trimmed the deficit to six with just over 12 minutes remaining, but the Wolverines answered with a 13–4 run to extend the lead to 72–57 at the 9:07 mark and maintained control the rest of the way to secure the 16-point 92-76 win.
Davis finished 7-of-9 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 at the line, while adding six rebounds. Leonhardt knocked down 9-of-12 shots, including two threes, and went 6-of-6 at the stripe. He also recorded seven assists, three rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Hayden Welling and Hendricks also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Utah Valley shot 50.0 percent (31-of-62) from the field and 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from three, while Utah Tech shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) overall and 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from long range. The Wolverines held a 32–31 edge on the glass and outscored the Trailblazers 46–36 in the paint.
Head coach Todd Phillips credited his team's composure as the difference during Utah Tech's first-half push.
"We got a little foul trouble and they went on a run… but just proud of our guys," Phillips said. "That last minute and a half of the first half was huge. We stopped the bleeding, and then the second half we really shot the ball well… got downhill."
Phillips also emphasized the value of winning home rivalry games in conference play.
"Part of this gig is if you can win all your home games, I think that's huge," he said. "To lose to them at home and still have to go down there would've made it tough, so I'm really proud of our guys."
Leonhardt said preparation and physical response fueled the win.
"Preparation was big for this game… I was just trying to be aggressive and come out with a win," Leonhardt said.
He also praised Davis' impact inside.
"Isaac is very skilled, very strong… today shows how capable he is of just dominating a game," Leonhardt said. "So I'm super proud of Isaac."
Utah Valley returns home next week to host UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. MT. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/Tickets.
