Utah Valley Blows Out BYU For Second Consecutive Crosstown Win

PROVO, Utah – Did we witness the last Utah Valley/BYU basketball game? At this point, BYU might want it to be the final chapter after the Cougars dropped lost to the Wolverines for the second consecutive year.

Final: UVU 75, BYU 60

BYU’s second straight loss to UVU. Cougars drop to 5-5 overall on the season.#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/PzVjpjglWw

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

Utah Valley defeated BYU 75-60 at the Marriott Center on a snowy weeknight contest in front of 13,925 fans.

UVU’s Justin Harmon led the way for the Wolverines scoring 19 points.

BYU led at the half 38-34 but was then outscored by UVU 41-22 in the second half as the crosstown team from the WAC blew out BYU.

Here’s a recap of what happened in Provo.

Starting Lineups

BYU (5-4)

• G – Dallin Hall, Fr.
• G – Richie Saunders, Fr.
• G – Jaxson Robinson, Soph.
• F – Gideon George, Sr.
• C – Fousseyni Traore, Soph.

Utah Valley (4-4)

• G – Trey Woodbury, Sr.
• G – Le’Tre Darthard, Jr.
• G – Justin Harmon, Jr.
• F – Tim Fuller, Sr.
• C – Aziz Bandaogo, Soph.

BYU stays out in front, but UVU hovers around

• 17:22 – Utah Valley has knocked down its first three attempts from three-point range. UVU 9, BYU 6
• 16:38 – Fousseyni Traore hits his first four field goal attempts. He’s scored all of BYU’s points in the opening minutes. UVU 9, BYU 8
• 15:52 – Dallin Hall buried a three to put BYU back in front. On the bench, Rudi Williams was cheering on Hall moments after that make. BYU 11, UVU 10
• 15:19 – Rudi Williams and Atiki Ally Atiki check into the game for Hall and Traore. BYU 13, UVU 10
• 14:35 – Williams first shot attempt is a three, and he knocks it down. BYU 16, UVU 10

Quick seven points for Rudi Williams off the bench. Having Williams as a 6th man that can provide an instant offensive spark feels like the move for Williams going forward.#BYU #BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

• 12:31 – Williams is up to seven points off the bench. Has he found his role as the sixth man that provides an instant offensive spark? BYU 20, UVU 14
• 11:17 – Trey Stewart buried a three, then blew a kiss towards the UVU bench. Stewart was called for a technical foul shortly after. BYU 25, UVU 15
• 9:36 – BYU commits only its second turnover of the game. UVU, to this point, is at six. BYU 25, UVU 18
• 8:11 – Dallin Hall got hit in the face, and Mark Pope was not happy with the officials not calling a foul. BYU 25, UVU 20
• 4:26 – BYU hasn’t hit a field goal in the last 2:54 of action. Tie ball game. BYU 30, UVU 30
• 4:26 – UVU’s Justin Harmon was called for a technical foul for taunting. It breaks the tie. BYU 32, UVU 30
• 1:02 – Utah Valley is up to 12 turnovers in the first half. BYU 36, UVU 32
• 6.2 – Dallin Hall was fouled on a mid-range jump shot by former BYU guard Blaze Nield. Hall knocked down both free throws. BYU 38, UVU 32

UVU hits a midrange jumper at the buzzer to end the first half. #BYU leads 38-34#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/0tVZWjpqYj

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

• 0.0 – Trey Stewart gets a block on a Trey Woodbury three-point attempt. The loose ball lands in the hands of Cam Alford, who hits a mid-range shot at the buzzer. BYU 38, UVU 34
• Halftime: BYU 38, UVU 34

Second Half

• 18:34 – Mark Pope goes with the same five players that started the game, which includes Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders. BYU 40, UVU 34
• 16:54 – Utah Valley goes on a 7-0 run to take the lead. UVU 41, BYU 40

Fousseyni Traore grabbed that offensive rebound with a lot of intensity. Found an open Jaxson Robinson for a three. #BYU #BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

• 16:17 – Fousseyni Traore grabbed an offensive rebound with a lot of intensity behind that board. He found a wide-open Jaxson Robinson for a corner three. Robinson’s three was only the fourth made three of the night for BYU. BYU 43, UVU 41
• 15:42 – First media timeout of the second half is a tied ball game. BYU is shooting 35% from the field to UVU’s 58%. BYU 43, UVU 43
• 13:57 – Wild sequence on a UVU possession. Trey Woodbury missed a dunk; UVU gathered the rebound but missed a three. They got another offensive board but then committed an offensive foul. UVU 44, BYU 43
• 11:31 – BYU’s Atiki Ally Atiki missed a pair of free throws, then Tahj Small hit a jumper for UVU. The Wolverines have tied their game-high lead. UVU 48, BYU 45

Mark Pope calls a timeout. UVU on a 12-2 run over the last 5:10 of game action.

UVU up on #BYU 53-45.#BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

• 10:44 – Mark Pope calls a timeout after UVU extends its game-high lead to eight. BYU has committed four turnovers in the last 5:33 of game time. UVU 53, BYU 45
• 9:42 – BYU can’t get 50/50 loose balls right now. UVU is sensing another upset opportunity. UVU 55, BYU 45
• 7:32 – BYU reeled off a quick four points to end UVU’s run. There was a chance for a fastbreak off a Gideon George, but the ball went out of bounds. Fans wanted a foul called on UVU for holding up George. UVU 55, BYU 49
• 3:55 – Former BYU guard Blaze Nield hits his second three-pointer of the game. Wolverines up double-digits again. On the other end, Traore is called for traveling. UVU 63, BYU 53
• 3:39 – ESPN’s win probability gives UVU a 96.4% chance of winning this game. UVU 64, BYU 53
• 2:30 – UVU fans began chanting, “U-V-U! U-V-U!” BYU students immediately responded with a “B-Y-U” chant. That’s about the only thing that has gone BYU’s way in this second half. UVU 69, BYU 53

UVU students looked like they were getting ready for a court storming until security broke it up. pic.twitter.com/t4sYbmU2kp

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 8, 2022

• Final: Utah Valley 75, BYU 60

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch and his BYU basketball coverage on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

Follow @Mitch_Harper