UVU Holds On To Beat Cal Baptist
Mar 2, 2019, 11:22 PM
Courtesy of UVU
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Utah Valley held on to win its fifth straight game with a narrow 64-63 victory over Cal Baptist.
Richard Harward hit a pair of free throws with 1:35 to go in the game to give the Wolverines the lead. Neither team would score again as UVU held on for the victory.
The win improves the Wolverines to 21-8 on the season with a 10-4 record in Western Athletic Conference play. They remained tied with for second with Grand Canyon.
The Wolverines were headed into an emotional and hostile environment with Cal Baptist honoring its seniors before the game. That said, head coach Mark Pope was pleased with the result.
WDN Update | FINAL @UVUmbb 64 California Baptist 63
Another great game in Riverside! Baylee Steele leads the way for UVU with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Wolverines with their 5th in a row and improve to 10-4 in the WAC. pic.twitter.com/74yNsNPcmH
— WACsports (@WACsports) March 3, 2019
“This is a huge win for us and it’s really hard to win on the road, especially on these guys’ senior night,” said UVU head coach Mark Pope. “I’m so proud of our guys and they played their tails off against a really good team.”
Baylee Steele turned in a nice game with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Of his 10 boards, eight came on the offensive end.
Connor Toolson chipped in 13 points while his cousin Jake struggled with seven points.
Cal Baptist’s Milan Acquaah played the full 40 minutes and scored a game-high 21 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Wolverines’ winning effort.
Next Up
UVU will return home to host Grand Canyon on Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner will likely receive the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
The Antelopes previously beat the Wolverines 71-60 in Phoenix on Jan. 3.
