Utah Valley Beats Utah Tech, Advances In WAC Tournament
Mar 12, 2025, 9:11 PM | Updated: Mar 13, 2025, 10:44 am
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – On the back of a dominant defense, No. 1 Utah Valley pulled away in the second half for a 74-57 win over in-state rival Utah Tech.
Top-seeded Utah Valley opened the Western Athletic Conference Tournament against the Utah Tech Trailblazers. The men’s and women’s WAC basketball tournaments are held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
FINAL | @UVUmbb 74, Utah Tech 57
The Old Hammer rivalry goes to the Wolverines who advance to the semis on Friday!#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/vhQn5TJeuY
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 13, 2025
Tanner Toolson led UVU with 16 points. Hakim Byrd’s 17 led all scorers.
First Half
The Trailblazer’s defense came out of the locker room intensely, forcing UVU to miss six of its first nine shots. Utah Tech used the opportunity to grab a 10-6 lead more than five minutes in.
1H | Don't leave the big man open! Samuel Ariyibi drills it from beyond the arc for @UtahTechMBB 🎯
📺 https://t.co/16gScJcjux (ESPN+)#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/DN5TyaANny
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 13, 2025
The Wolverines stormed back with an 11-4 run thanks to threes from Kylin Green and Tanner Toolson.
Utah Tech went nearly three minutes without a point before Noa Gonsalves knocked down a three to make it 20-17 Utah Valley. Similarly, the Trailblazers suffered a more than five-minute stretch without a field goal.
RELATED: Utah Tech Downs Thunderbirds In WAC Opening Round
The Wolverines came out of their slump with an 8-0 run, grabbing an 11-point lead with three minutes to go in the half.
1H | 🚀 Up, up, and away! Tanner Toolson with the alley oop slam! @UVUmbb with the lead in the first
📺 https://t.co/16gScJbLEZ (ESPN+)#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/RTvXyeEc4W
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 13, 2025
UVU led 31-22 at the half.
Second Half
Utah Tech fell behind 38-22 early in the half but used a 5-0 run to get the deficit back into single digits at the first media timeout. Utah Valley went cold, going more than four minutes without a field goal.
RELATED: Utah Valley Clinches WAC Regular Season Crown
The Trailblazers got into early foul trouble, putting UVU in the double bonus with more than 13 minutes to play.
The lead ballooned to 17 when Utah Valley tightened up defensively. The Trailblazers struggled all night against the Wolverines’ defense, hovering near 30 percent shooting all game.
2H | From. The. Logo. Tanner Toolson, everyone!
📺 https://t.co/16gScJcjux (ESPN+)#OneWAC x #WAChoops x #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/jHXSjXywfW
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 13, 2025
Utah Valley held court with the 74-57 win.
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Utah Valley advances to the WAC semifinals. On Friday, March 14, the Wolverines will face the winner of Abilene Christian vs. Seattle. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. MT.
The 2025 WAC Basketball Tournament is in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Orleans Arena from Wednesday, March 12, through Saturday, March 15. The winner earns the conference’s automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. All WAC tournament games will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the final airing on ESPN2.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah Valley University Athletics here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X and Instagram and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
