ST. GEORGE, Utah—Dominick Nelson scored a team-high 15 points and Isaac Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds as Utah Valley fell to Utah Tech, 92-80, in an exhibition game Saturday night at Burns Arena in St. George.
The Wolverines outscored the Trailblazers 47-45 in the second half and cut a 22-point deficit to nine in the closing minutes, but Utah Tech held on to secure the exhibition victory.
"Exactly what we needed," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "We're trying to figure out lineups and rotations, and probably played too many guys. Tried to play everybody tonight, and it was a good experience. I thought Utah Tech did a great job. They moved the ball and shared it, and we made a couple runs there. We just made some little mistakes that shoot ourselves in the foot that you can't make."
Nelson scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, finishing 5-of-10 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Davis added 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a block, including five offensive rebounds.
Tyler Weaver provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Braden Housley finished with nine points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Jordy Barnes added eight points with two three-pointers.
Utah Valley opened the game with a basket from Davis before the teams traded leads early in the first half. Barnes connected on a three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 10-9 advantage with 15:33 remaining.
Utah Tech responded with an 8-2 run to take a 17-12 lead, but the Wolverines stayed within striking distance behind Weaver, who knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 23-23 with 8:25 remaining in the half.
Utah Valley again tied the game at 29-29 on a pair of Davis free throws with 5:52 remaining before the Trailblazers closed the half on an 18-4 run to take a 47-33 advantage into the break.
Utah Tech extended its lead early in the second half, pushing the advantage to 59-40 with 15:11 remaining. The Trailblazers later stretched their lead to a game-high 22 points, 71-49, with 10:01 to play.
The Wolverines responded with a 7-0 run behind a pair of AJ Dixon free throws, a Davis layup, and a Barnes three-pointer to cut the deficit to 71-56 with 8:16 remaining.
Sherman Weatherspoon IV followed with a three-pointer before Davis scored inside to bring Utah Valley within 14 points, 75-61, with 6:32 to play.
The Wolverines continued to battle down the stretch. Weaver knocked down a pair of free throws, and Housley scored on an offensive rebound to trim the Utah Tech lead to 80-69 with 3:44 remaining.
Nelson then connected on a three-pointer, and Housley followed with another from beyond the arc to pull Utah Valley within nine points, 84-75, with 2:16 remaining.
After Utah Tech pushed its lead back to 13, Nelson scored four of Utah Valley's final five points, including a layup with 57 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 89-80. The Trailblazers answered with a three-point play to seal the 92-80 victory.
Nelson led the Wolverines with 15 points, while Davis finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Weaver added 11 points, and Housley chipped in nine points and five rebounds. Barnes scored eight points, Weatherspoon IV finished with seven points and four rebounds, and Tanner Davis added six points.
Utah Tech was led by Christian Gibson, who scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including three three-pointers. Mark Brown and Aris Rodriguez each added 19 points, while former Wolverine Ethan Potter recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Utah Valley shot 37 percent (27-of-73) from the field and 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from three-point range. Utah Tech connected on 51.8 percent (29-of-56) of its shots and 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from beyond the arc.
The Wolverines held a 40-38 rebounding advantage, including a 17-7 edge on the offensive glass. Utah Valley also outscored Utah Tech 25-7 in second-chance points and 47-42 in bench scoring.
Utah Valley finished with 12 assists, eight steals, and five blocks while committing just eight turnovers. The Trailblazers recorded 13 assists and 12 turnovers.
Phillips said the exhibition provided an opportunity for the Wolverines to evaluate their rotations and continue building chemistry before the regular season.
"We have two weeks, so we'll go watch a lot of film, and these guys will get better," Phillips said. "I think we're excited about this group. I think it's figuring out how to play together. Sometimes at the end of the year, you forget all the growing pains you go through, and this is one of those tonight. It's going to be a long bus ride home, but I think we'll get better for it."
Utah Valley now turns its attention to the official season opener on Monday, Nov. 2, when the Wolverines host Western Colorado at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on ESPN The Fan (103.9 FM/98.3 FM/960 AM) and online at ESPNTheFan.com.
The exhibition does not count toward either team's regular-season record.
