ARLINGTON, Texas — Jackson Holcombe recorded a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double and Trevan Leonhardt added 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 66-55 road win over UT Arlington on Saturday afternoon at College Park Center.
Utah Valley improves to 20-7 overall and remains alone in first place in the WAC with a 10-4 league record. UT Arlington falls to 15-12 overall and 7-8 in conference play. The Wolverines now hold a one-game lead over California Baptist atop the WAC standings.
The teams were tied 6-6 through the opening 4:24 before UT Arlington used a 7-1 run to take a 13-7 lead. Isaac Hawkins answered with back-to-back baskets to pull Utah Valley within two, 13-11, with 12:44 remaining in the half. The Mavericks then went on a 13-4 run to build an 11-point advantage at 26-15 with 6:40 to play.
Sherman Weatherspoon IV knocked down a three-pointer to spark an 11-2 Utah Valley run that cut the deficit to two, 28-26, with 3:09 left in the half. UT Arlington closed the period on a 4-1 spurt to take a 32-27 lead into the break.
UTA maintained a five-point lead early in the second half and held a 38-33 advantage with 15:28 remaining. Holcombe then scored to ignite a 9-0 Utah Valley run, giving the Wolverines a 42-38 lead with 13:07 to play. Utah Valley maintained control from there, leading 52-48 with 6:30 remaining before scoring six straight points to push the lead to 58-48 with just over four minutes left. The Wolverines closed out the game by outscoring the Mavericks 8-7 down the stretch to secure the 66-55 win.
"Just a gutty performance from our guys," said Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips. "Short turnaround, some guys were banged up from the last game, and we just taped them up and went out and played. It was a man's game down low and I thought we wore them down with our physicality inside."
Holcombe finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals for his eighth double-double of the season.
Leonhardt scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his double-double, while Isaac Davis added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five rebounds. Hawkins chipped in nine points and six rebounds off the bench.
Utah Valley shot 40 percent (26-of-65) from the field and finished just 1-of-14 (7.1 percent) from three-point range — its lowest three-point percentage of the season. UT Arlington shot 34 percent (17-of-50) overall and 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
Despite the struggles from outside, the Wolverines dominated the glass, outrebounding the Mavericks 47-33 and holding a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint. Utah Valley pulled down 23 offensive rebounds — the second-most in a single game in program history — which proved to be a major factor in the win.
"We didn't shoot it very well, but we had 23 offensive rebounds, which was huge for us," Phillips said. "Our defense carried us again. We got stops, kept the score low, and just sat down and guarded."
Utah Valley also forced 17 UT Arlington turnovers while committing just 12 of its own.
"It was just a grimy, tough game," Phillips said. "They take things away and make you work for everything, and it turned into a battle on the boards."
Utah Valley returns home to Orem for a pair of games next week, hosting Tarleton State on Thursday and Abilene Christian on Saturday. Thursday's game is set for a 6 p.m. tip at the UCCU Center. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/Tickets.