34
Utah Valley Falls to Grand Canyon in Thrilling WAC Championship
Game Summary |
|
|---|---|
| Location: | Orleans Arena, Las Vegas |
| Date: | Saturday Night |
| Score: | Grand Canyon 89 – Utah Valley 82 |
| Utah Valley Season Record: | 25-8 overall |
| WAC Automatic Bid: | Grand Canyon |
| Utah Valley Next Tournament: | National Invitation Tournament (NIT) |
Key Players and Performance
| Player | Details |
|---|---|
| Tanner Toolson | 28 points (career high), 10-of-18 shooting, 6 three-pointers (career high), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 38 minutes |
| Carter Welling | 18 points, 6-of-15 shooting, 5-of-7 free throws, 6 rebounds, 2 assists |
| Trevan Leonhardt | 10 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal |
| Dominick Nelson | 9 points |
| Ethan Potter | 6 points off the bench |
Game Highlights and Analysis
| Half | Details |
|---|---|
| First Half |
Grand Canyon took an early 5-0 lead, but Utah Valley responded with a 13-2 run to take a 13-7 lead. Utah Valley extended their lead to 19-10, but Grand Canyon countered to tie the game at 21-21. The teams exchanged leads multiple times before Grand Canyon closed the half with a 7-3 run to take a 40-33 lead. |
| Second Half |
Grand Canyon extended their lead to 46-36 and stretched it to 52-41. Utah Valley cut the lead to 52-47 but could never pull closer than 3 points. The Wolverines made a late run to get within 5 points, but Grand Canyon secured the win. |
Coach and Player Quotes
| Person | Quote |
|---|---|
| Todd Phillips (Head Coach) | “It was a heck of a ball game. Two big-time teams going at it. I’m really proud of our guys tonight. They fought through adversity and made a lot of big plays. Grand Canyon made a couple more big plays than we did, and we’ve got to be a little bit better from the foul line. That was big. We won the rebound battle, but we just couldn’t get the stops we needed in the second half. We came up short, but I’m really proud of the way we fought.” |
| Carter Welling | “We’re still regular season champions. We did lose tonight in the tournament, but we did something that no other Utah Valley team has ever done. I think what this group can do is special, and I think what the last UVU team (2023) did in the NIT is also very special. We’re a team to be feared, and moving forward, we’ll focus on the next game, whoever it is, and play our best basketball.” |
| Tanner Toolson | “It hurts, obviously, something we’ve dreamed of our whole lives. But the best thing for us is turning the page. We got more games ahead of us. We got the NIT coming up soon, and I’m excited to see what we can do there.” |
Upcoming WAC Tournament Matches
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| WAC All-Tournament Team | Tanner Toolson and Carter Welling were named to the WAC All-Tournament Team. |
| NIT Participation | Utah Valley will prepare for national postseason play in the NIT. The Wolverines’ first-round opponent, date, and time will be announced following the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday afternoon. This will mark UVU’s third appearance in the NIT and its second in the past three seasons. |