Second Half Run Propels Utah Valley Wolverines Past UT Rio Grande Valley

OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley Wolverines pulled out an impressive 11-point win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros behind a strong second-half performance.

UVU outrebounded UTRGV by four on the offensive glass and seven overall. Ethan Potter was the Wolverine’s leading scorer with 16.

Utah Valley will stay at the UCCU Center for their next game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Saturday, February 24.

And that’s another Wolverine win! pic.twitter.com/b9XCHfntQM

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

First Half

Jaden McClanahan got the Wolverines started after the tip with a three-point make.

UVU rolled with this momentum and opened a 7-1 lead with a couple of easy looks at the rim.

After this early run, the rest of the half was neck and neck.

UTRGV answered with a 6-0 run to tie it up. Over the next four minutes, neither team held a lead larger than four.

#35 Ethan Potter from the right box! pic.twitter.com/tXW6rIFkLf

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

Ethan Potter was a consistent force for the Wolverines.

He finished as the leading scorer in the half for UVU with 12 points.

With six minutes left, the Vaqueros went on a run.

Trailing by seven, UTRGV closed out the half on a 16-8 run.

#12 Osiris Grady in the PAINT! pic.twitter.com/WiGjFjBAdW

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

The Vaqueros took their first lead of the game with three minutes left in the first half.

UVU trailed by one at the break, 32-31.

HALFTIME@kudosnacks pic.twitter.com/5gOOXR1wPV

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

Second Half

The opening minutes of the second half were very competitive.

Neither team could gain the upper hand as there were three lead changes.

Utah Valley stole the momentum with a 12-2 run to go up by 10.

#13 Jaden McClanahan on the fast break! pic.twitter.com/dU5gLE90Ug

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

The Wolverines played lockdown defense and didn’t allow anything easy for the Vaqueros.

UVU’s aggression quickly tired out UTRGV and it led to defensive lapses.

With ten minutes left, Caleb Stone-Carrawell swished a corner three to put Utah Valley up 13.

#25 Caleb Stone-Carrawell from the right corner! Stone Cold Carrawell! pic.twitter.com/vcsbLI2f1A

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

But the Wolverines didn’t stop there.

The lead quickly increased to 16 and got as high as 18 before the Vaqueros put together a response.

#5 Tanner Toolson on the fast break! pic.twitter.com/yHBfOre35P

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 23, 2024

UTRGV closed out the game on a 9-2 run.

Utah Valley improved to 13-14 with the convincing 11-point win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

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