Utah Valley Tops Weber State, Takes Bragging Rights Back To Orem
Dec 21, 2024, 10:15 PM
Photo Courtesy of Weber State Basketball.
OGDEN, Utah- It was a Beehive State Battle in Ogden where the Weber State Wildcats welcomed the Utah Valley Wolverines into Dee Events Center on Saturday night.
The low-scoring affair was close throughout the entirety of the game. Utah Valley went on a 9-0 run in the middle of the first half to take a 20-26 lead. The Wolverines kept their edge as they entered the locker room with a 38-35 lead.
Weber State and Utah Valley traded blows to open the second half. With 15:05 remaining in the game, the Wolverines and Wildcats were tied at 49, and that was the last time the contest would be even. Utah Valley slowly stacked buckets while Weber State went on a scoring drought, and the Wolverines took its biggest lead at 59-50.
The Wildcats made a push in the last six minutes and a Nigel Burris jumper made the deficit two points with 1:28 left on the clock. It was a frenzy on both sides of the ball for the last minute and a half. A foul sent UVU’s Carter Welling to the free throw line to ice the game with 18 seconds left, but two misses from the stripe gave Weber State the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead, but a last-second heave from Blaise Threatt fell short and the Wolverines escaped Ogden with two-point 64-62 victory, evening the historical series between the two programs with eight wins a piece.
Carter Welling led all scorers with 22 points, he also added six rebounds. Nigel Burris’ best game as a Wildcat helped Weber State keep this one close with a double-double featuring 17 points and 10 rebounds.
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In such a close game it came down to a couple of aspects of the game that gave the Wolverines the edge.
The Bench
Both Utah Valley and Weber State went ten deep, but the Wolverines were able to get substantially more production from their bench than the Wildcats.
Utah Valley got 25 points from their reserves with their main spark being Jackson Holcombe who had 13.
Weber State on the other hand only got 9 points from their bench, relying heavily on their starting not only in terms of points but also in minutes. Carter Welling was the only Wolverine who eclipsed 30 minutes played, while Nigel Burris, Blaise Threatt, and Miguel Tomley all had at least 33.
Putting that load on only a handful of players narrows the scoring funnel and you end up living and dying on the production of only a few.
Offensive Rebounding
Utah Valley only ended up with four more rebounds than Weber State on the stat sheet, but the timing of those rebounds is what tilted the scale. Of the Wolverines’ 13 offensive rebounds, ten of them came in the second half, many of them in critical junctions of the game, stealing important possessions that helped them maintain their lead.
From those offensive rebounds, Utah Valley scored 13 second-chance points, which ended up being condemned for Weber State in a two-point game that only featured 126 points.
Up Next For Weber State And Utah Valley
Both squads will take an extended holiday break before getting back into action.
The Utah Valley Wolverines will take on Bethesda at home on December 28, at 2:00 p.m. MT.
The Weber State Wildcats will travel to Eugene and take on the nationally ranked No. 10 Oregon Ducks on December 29, at 3:00 p.m. MT.
