OREM — A last-second shot to win it wouldn't fall as Utah Valley dropped a heartbreaking 79-78 decision to George Washington in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center.
The loss snaps Utah Valley's 27-game home win streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation, and brings the Wolverines' season to a close at 25-9 overall. Prior to Wednesday, UVU had not lost at home since March 2, 2024 against UT Arlington.
Utah Valley also wraps up the year with its second straight outright WAC regular-season championship.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said head coach Todd Phillips. "We fought back. We scored 49 points in the second half, got stops, got the crowd behind us, and made a push. It just comes down to making one more play."
Both teams struggled offensively early, with George Washington holding a narrow 4-3 lead at the first media timeout. A three-pointer from Tyler Weaver sparked an 8-3 run, capped by a Sherman Weatherspoon IV triple to give Utah Valley an 11-7 advantage with 14:48 remaining in the half.
George Washington responded with an 18-4 run over the next six minutes to take control, building a 25-15 lead. The Revolutionaries extended their advantage to as many as 13 before Utah Valley closed the gap to seven, 34-27, with 2:35 left in the half. GW answered with an 8-2 run to take a 45-29 lead into the break.
Utah Valley opened the second half with a 5-0 run, but George Washington quickly pushed its lead back to 16 at 52-36. From there, the Wolverines began to chip away.
A Jackson Holcombe dunk ignited a 14-5 run that cut the deficit to seven, 57-50, with 12:19 remaining. Utah Valley continued to battle, eventually pulling within six at 62-56 before another GW push stretched the lead back to 10 with just over seven minutes to play.
The Wolverines responded with an 11-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back baskets from Hayden Welling, a corner three from Weaver, and an Isaac Davis putback, to take a 67-66 lead with 4:50 remaining.
"I think we went into the locker room more upset with our effort and body language than the score," said Holcombe. "That wasn't us. We said we were going to go out swinging and compete until the final buzzer, and I think you saw that in the second half."
George Washington answered with a 9-4 run to regain a 75-71 lead before Utah Valley trimmed it to two. After GW pushed the lead to 79-75 with 1:25 to play, Trevan Leonhardt knocked down a clutch three from the left wing to make it 79-78 with 35 seconds remaining.
Utah Valley forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and had a chance to win in the closing seconds. After a scramble and a tie-up gave UVU the ball with 8.5 seconds left, the Wolverines got one final look, but the shot at the buzzer didn't fall.
"Coach put me in a great spot and my teammates got me a good look," Holcombe said of the final possession. "I think I passed up a good one and took a tougher shot. I should've shot the floater."
Holcombe led Utah Valley with a career-high 27 points, going 14-of-15 from the free throw line while adding seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
"Jackson was unbelievable," Phillips said. "He's a warrior. He does everything for us; scoring, rebounding, passing. He just fills up the stat sheet, and we needed every bit of what he gave us tonight."
Weaver added a career-high 12 points with three steals, while Welling also scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Weatherspoon IV chipped in nine points, and Davis finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Leonhardt added six assists to go with his late three.
Utah Valley shot 44.8% (26-of-58) from the field and 36.4% (8-of-22) from three, while George Washington shot 49.1% (26-of-53) overall and 44.0% (11-of-25) from beyond the arc.
The Wolverines outrebounded GW 34-32, outscored the Revolutionaries 36-28 in the paint, and forced 17 turnovers that led to 23 points.
Despite the loss, Utah Valley closes the season with back-to-back outright WAC titles and consecutive 25-win campaigns.
"These aren't easy," Phillips said. "But I'm proud of the fight, the resilience, and the way our guys competed until the very end."
