OREM—Trevan Leonhardt scored 16 points and Isaac Davis added 15 to lead Utah Valley to a 74-67 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center, wrapping up the home slate with a second straight undefeated season at home. The victory extends UVU's home win streak to 27 games.
Utah Valley graduate guard Noah Taitz and senior forward Hayden Welling were honored prior to the game as part of Senior Day festivities.
Utah Valley improves to 22-7 overall and stays in first place in the WAC at 12-4. The Wolverines maintain a one-game lead over California Baptist and a 1.5-game cushion over Utah Tech heading into the final two games of the regular season. A win Thursday at Southern Utah would guarantee at least a share of a second straight WAC regular-season title.
Utah Valley jumped out to a 10-5 lead early and extended the advantage to 16-10 with 11:52 remaining in the first half. The Wolverines later held five-point leads at 20-15 and 25-20 before Abilene Christian answered with six unanswered points to take a 26-25 lead at the 3:35 mark.
A Sherman Weatherspoon IV three-pointer sparked an 8-2 UVU run over the next two minutes, giving the Wolverines a 33-28 edge with 1:37 left in the half. The Wildcats closed the period on a 4-1 run, however, as Utah Valley took a 34-32 lead into the break.
UVU scored the first basket of the second half to push the lead to 36-32, but ACU responded with a 13-2 run over a 5:36 stretch to take a 48-38 advantage with 13:45 remaining.
Hayden Welling and Braden Housley answered with back-to-back buckets to spark an 11-3 Utah Valley run that cut the deficit to 51-49 with 10:18 to play. A Leonhardt three-pointer gave UVU the lead back at 55-54 with 7:42 on the clock and ignited a 13-5 surge over the next 4:36 as the Wolverines built a 65-59 lead.
Abilene Christian pulled within three at 70-67 with 27 seconds remaining, but Utah Valley scored the final four points to seal the 74-67 victory.
Leonhardt finished with 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including two three-pointers, and went 6-of-8 at the free-throw line. He narrowly missed a triple-double, recording nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Davis scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a three-pointer. Jackson Holcombe also reached double figures with 13 points, adding a team-high four blocks, three rebounds, and two steals. Weatherspoon IV chipped in nine points off the bench.
As a team, Utah Valley shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the field and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc. Abilene Christian shot 38.3 percent (18-of-47) overall and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from three-point range.
The Wolverines were outrebounded 32-28 but outscored the Wildcats 38-18 in the paint.
Utah Valley closes out the regular season with road games at Southern Utah on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and at Utah Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the Wolverine Sports Network/ESPN The Fan.