Utah Valley Wolverines Fall In Blowout To Tarleton

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Utah Valley Wolverines traveled to the Wisdom Gym to take on the Tarleton Texans on Thursday.

The Wolverines last game was a 9-point road win over the Seattle U Redhawks. The Texans last game was a 5-point loss to the Sam Houston Bearkats.

Utah Valley entered the match as the first seed in the Western Athletic Conference.

First Half

Le’Tre Darthard created all of the offense for UVU early.

He scored the first four points but the Wolverines fell to a 13-4 deficit in the opening of the first half.

We’re back in Wisdom Gym, so you know @YooooKingLue is going to hit those 👌 pic.twitter.com/p2Nynk39dx

— Tarleton Men’s Basketball (@TarletonMBB) February 24, 2023

Tim Fuller was the next to step up for Utah Valley. He got a dunk on one possession and made his way to the free-throw line on the next.

Fuller with the flush!!!#UVUhoops #UVUatTarleton #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/kUQkFXKxMv

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

Halfway through the first half, Utah Valley trailed, 15-9.

No matter what the Wolverines did, Tarleton kept them at an arm’s distance. They were down by 9 with five minutes left in the half.

Aziz Bandaogo’s defense pulled UVU closer at the end of the half. The Wolverines were able to run in transition after each of Bandaogo’s 3 first-half rejections.

Aziz Bandaogo with his 82nd block of the season as he becomes the all-time single season blocks leader.#UVUhoops #UVUatTarleton #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/HgTr9gG1hY

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

Tarleton answered with a 7-1 run which gave them their first double-digit lead of the contest.

The Wolverines were down at halftime, 35-20.

Halftime in Texas.#UVUhoops #WAChoops #UVU pic.twitter.com/1mZBL4yhnC

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

Second Half

Utah Valley couldn’t gain any ground coming out of the break.

Trey Woodbury put down a nasty two-hand dunk early in the second half.

Woodbury gets to the bucket and dunks#UVUhoops #UVUatTarleton #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/KL0J15hTe3

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

Tarleton outhustled and outworked UVU in the first 30 minutes of the game. The Texans extended their lead to 20 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

Halfway through the second half, the score was 56-35.

Darthard 3️⃣#UVUhoops #UVUatTarleton #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/i0beN1EEg1

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

The Wolverines went on a massive run, closing the lead to as low as 11.

Tarleton bent but didn’t break. The home crowd played a large factor for the Texans.

Big block by @FreddyHicks7 and @YooooKingLue finishes it on the other end against the 7-footer 😤 pic.twitter.com/l37ivJRDNL

— Tarleton Men’s Basketball (@TarletonMBB) February 24, 2023

With two minutes left, Tarleton reopened a 20-point lead.

The Wolverines lose on the road, 77-58.

Final in Texas.#UVUhoops #UVU #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/CfZBfNux6p

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) February 24, 2023

Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.

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