Utah Valley Drops Matinee Matchup In North Dakota
Nov 14, 2024, 2:04 PM
Photo courtesy of Utah Valley Basketball on X.
SALT LAKE CITY- The Utah Valley Wolverines traveled to Grand Forks North Dakota to take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in an untraditional matinee matchup with tipoff at 11:00 a.m. MT.
It was a back-and-forth game as it bled from the morning into the afternoon, but despite being 4.5 point favorites entering the battle, the injured Wolverines ran out of steam late as North Dakota marked their second win of the young season 77-71.
Final #GoUVU | #ValleyForged pic.twitter.com/MgkWJWFC3s
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) November 14, 2024
Through the first 15 minutes of the first half, the largest lead that either team held was four points. However, as the two teams neared halftime, the Fighting Hawks grew their lead to six, but a late flurry from Utah Valley put them on top, giving them a 34-33 lead at the break.
The second half was more of the same as the Wolverines and Fighting Hawks traded the lead 11 times through the first 14 minutes of the period. With 6:12 remaining in the game UVU led by a single point, 57-56. North Dakota then exploded, going on an 11-0 run to lead Utah Valley 57-67 with 2:35 remaining. The remainder of the game saw the Wolverines commit a myriad of fouls in an attempt to manufacture possessions and get back into the game, but North Dakota made their free throws down the stretch, protecting their lead, and eventually winning by six.
Ethan Potter was Utah Valley’s bright spot, scoring an extremely efficient 20 points, only missing one of his 11 shots. Dominic Nelson, Tanner Toolson, and Trev Leonhardt all scored in double figures as well for the Wolverines. However, it was not enough to outmatch North Dakota’s Tre Eaglestaff who ended the game with 31 points to lead all scorers.
The Utah Valley Wolverines will have plenty of rest before their next game as they don’t play at Murray State until November 22.
