First Round Loss Eliminates Utah Valley From WAC Tournament
Mar 13, 2024, 9:22 PM | Updated: Mar 14, 2024, 11:42 am
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Utah Valley ran out of gas in overtime as Cal Baptist took control in the extra period for a 74-63 win. The loss eliminates UVU from the WAC postseason tournament.
No. 5 Utah Valley (16-16, 11-10) faced No. 8 California Baptist in the first round of the 2024 WAC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Orleans Arena on Wednesday, March 13.
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FINAL pic.twitter.com/9K8mi6sisf
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) March 14, 2024
Ethan Potter’s 23 points led Utah Valley. Drake Allen added 17 points while Caleb Stone-Carrawell had 10 points.
Blondeau Tchoukuiegno scored 19 points to help the Lancers advance.
First Half
Ethan Potter started 2-2, but the Wolverines fell behind 9-6 with 14:52 left after CBU hit three shots in a row and four of six to start the game.
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A perfectly timed Trevin Dorius block triggered a fast break for Utah Valley but Jaden McClanahan came up empty on the other end. Caleb Stone-Carrawell had six points with UVU trailing 18-16 at the under-eight-minute timeout.
#WACvegas | @CBUmbb leading Utah Valley 18-16 early in their first round match up!
📺 https://t.co/ydd2QIrWdn#OneWAC x #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/5ttYMVKzGQ
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 14, 2024
Drake Allen put UVU in front when he fought through contact to hit a layup to go up 27-26 late in the half. Moments late, Tanner Toolson sliced his way to the basket for a bucket that gave his team a 30-28 halftime lead.
Allen with the MAGIC drive#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/scmyRm0WCx
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) March 14, 2024
Potter led all scorers with 13 points on 5-6 shooting.
Second Half
Stone-Carrawell and Potter continued to lead the Wolverines offense, with the duo each getting early second-half buckets. UVU was getting little production elsewhere, going scoreless for 2:28 as the Lancers built a 47-40 lead with 11:57 left.
And that’s on ball movement#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/fpMApj42EO
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) March 14, 2024
California Baptist went on a 10-0 run, with UVU’s scoreless stretch extending to nearly four minutes. Potter cut the deficit to 52-42 with a bucket.
Moments later, back-to-back threes from Allen made it a four-point game.
Allen with the THREE#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/iiQ1axiCLF
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) March 14, 2024
The Wolverines’ defense settled in, holding CBU scoreless for more than four minutes. An 8-0 Utah Valley’s run tied the game at 58 with just over two minutes to play.
Trailing 60-58, UVU got a defensive stop that led to Allen going one-on-one with the final seconds ticking down. After being fouled with 3.8 seconds left, the former Southern Utah guard hit two free throws to tie the game.
Allen ties it up to send us into OVERTIME!#GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/FDkWabvqvC
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) March 14, 2024
California Baptist missed a shot at the horn to force overtime.
Overtime
CBU scored the first nine points of overtime, and it looked like Utah Valley had run out of gas after the second-half comeback.
UVU never threatened again before falling 74-63.
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The 2024 WAC Men’s Basketball Tournament began on Wednesday, March 13, and continues through Saturday, March 16. Games are being played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah Valley University Athletics here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
