UVU Men’s Basketball Beats Sam Houston State In Convincing Fashion
Dec 29, 2022, 8:02 PM | Updated: Jan 11, 2023, 4:26 pm
Utah Valley Wolverines Men's Basketball team. (Courtesy of UVU Athletics)
(Courtesy of UVU Athletics)
OREM, Utah — Two Western Athletic Conference powerhouses faced off on Thursday. The 10-2 Sam Houston State Bearkats faced off against the 9-4 Utah Valley Wolverines on the road in Orem.
Going into the match, the two teams were first and second place respectively in the WAC.
MBB | @UVUmbb hosts top-ranked league foe Sam Houston on Thursday night in the team’s @WACsports opener. Sam Houston sits atop the WAC standings with a 10-2 record and holds the top NCAA NET ranking in the WAC at No. 20.#UVUhoops #UVU #WAChoops https://t.co/Tj7qA8VvSo
— UVU Athletics (@GoUVU) December 28, 2022
The opening minutes were filled with aggressive play and hustle from both sides. Aziz Bandaogo had a strong two-hand slam that encapsulated the game’s energy early on.
Dunk by #55 Aziz Bandaogo pic.twitter.com/G8919kIEOj
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines opened up with a 14-7 lead thanks to efficient three-point shooting. UVU shot 5-9 from deep in the first half.
#0 Justin Harmon for three pic.twitter.com/oOUmDdYIsv
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Defense was the key for UVU. They forced the Bearkats to shoot jumpshots after getting multiple blocks when they drove into the lane.
Big Time Blocks by #55 Aziz Bandaogo and #0 Justin Harmon pic.twitter.com/AKBPT8VpI4
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines were up on the Bearkats at half, 38-25. Both teams had 8 turnovers in the first half. But, UVU had 15 points off of turnovers to Sam Houston’s three.
Halftime pic.twitter.com/kfwmO5lOSJ
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines extended their lead, to 49-30, after the first four minutes of the second half. The three-point sharpshooting continued.
#1 Le’tre Darthard for three pic.twitter.com/wPgTRXWWYk
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
UVU held on to their 20-point lead for most of the second half.
#0 Justin Harmon with the finesse pic.twitter.com/hFiUtmwqX5
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The highlights kept piling-up for the Wolverines. Whether it was fierce blocks…
#2 Tim Ceaser and #11 Tahj Small protecting the rim pic.twitter.com/D6zPOS6qI4
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Or powerful dunks. UVU put on a show on both sides of the floor.
#3 Blaze Nield to #55 Aziz Bandaogo for the SLAM pic.twitter.com/CUCqkpyqXY
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Tim Fuller caught a couple of alley-oops in the game. The best of them with 2 minutes left in regulation.
Alley-Oop from #4 Trey Woodbury to #5 Tim Fuller pic.twitter.com/KccxnDOX9W
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The final was 80-64. The win marks 80-points scored in 6 of the last 8 games for the Wolverines.
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
