First-place Utah Valley battled Cal Baptist on Wednesday night, coming away with a big win to set up a rivalry showdown this weekend.
First half
Utah Valley controlled the game early, as they jumped out to an 11-point advantage within the first eight minutes.
The Lancers (13-12, 5-7 WAC) did their best to battle back, however, trimming the deficit to just four points just three minutes after the Wolverines took a double-digit lead.
The close scoreline didn’t last though, as UVU regained its double-figure lead with under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
The rest of the opening frame was back-and-forth, as the Wolverines took a 34-23 lead into the halftime break.
Second half
The second half was much like the first, with UVU not letting up on its advantage.
Cal Baptist cut the deficit to nine early in the frame, but it was all Wolverines from that point on. With just over minutes to go, UVU jumped in front by 21, its largest lead of the game.
The Wolverines closed out the 71-55 victory in the final minutes to remain atop the WAC standings.
Trey Woodbury tallied 16 points to lead UVU, adding four assists. Blaze Nield added 14 points to tie his season high for the Wolverines, while Aziz Bandaogo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Game thoughts
The game was projected to be a win for the Wolverines, but with a huge game coming up on Saturday against SUU it could’ve been easy for them to have a letdown.
Utah Valley came out focused and took the lead from the beginning of the game, never allowing Cal Baptist to jump in front. They were able to control the game throughout and remain alone atop the conference standings, setting up a battle with second-place Southern Utah next.
Up next
The Wolverines (19-6, 10-2 WAC) will now battle in-state foe Southern Utah (16-8, 8-3 WAC) at home on Saturday, February 11.
The battle between the top two teams in the WAC will tip off at 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
