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STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Utah Valley never forgot the feeling of giving up a 15-point halftime lead at home to Tarleton State.
It was only fitting then that they would return the favor on the Texans' home floor.
Behind an all-world, career-high 22-point, 15-rebound performance by Ethan Potter, and Drake Allen adding 20 more, the Wolverines rallied from a 13-point second half deficit of their own to pull off a 63-60 upset of Tarleton State Thursday night at a nearly sold-out and stunned Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas.
"I don't really have any words," Allen said. "A lot of people don't come in here and win; it just feels amazing right now."
In beating the Texans (22-8, 15-4 WAC), Utah Valley (15-15, 10-9 WAC) not only ended Tarleton State's 10-game winning streak, the second-longest in the country, but they also handed the Texans just their second home loss in WAC play, and their third home loss all season.
Devon Barnes led all scorers for the Texans with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, while Jakorie Smith had 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
Wolverines head coach Todd Phillips had difficulty finding words to describe how sweet the win was Thursday, but said he was "just super proud of the guys and the energy and the effort we had all night."
That energy, especially on defense, proved to be the difference.
The Wolverines held the Texans to 22% shooting in the final 20 minutes, with Tarleton State missing their last 10 field goals and coughing up five critical turnovers. All told, Utah Valley held Tarleton State to just 20 second-half points, just 3 points less than what the Wolverines scored in the second half Feb. 8 in Orem.
"Defense is what we've preached all year," Phillips said. "Our guys made them take some tough contested shots."
It certainly wasn't the case in the first half, as Tarleton State shot 48% from the field in racing to a 40-30 halftime advantage. Utah Valley was still able to stay within striking distance thanks to a huge performance by Caleb Stone-Carrawell off the bench.
The Austin Peay transfer went 6-of-12 from the field for his 12 points, joining Potter and Allen as the only three Wolverine players to score in double figures.
"He really carried us in the first half," Phillips said. "He came out aggressive and really showed the way for us."
That aggressiveness carried over into the second half. The comeback began with Utah Valley down 58-46 with about nine minutes left, sparked by Ethan Potter's inspired play on both end of the floor. Of the 15 rebounds for Potter on the night, eight of them were offensive, part of the 20 Utah Valley had.
"Ethan's an absolute dog," Allen said. "He's always in the right spot whenever you need anything."
Nowhere did it show through more than a crucial sequence with the game tied at 60-60. Off a missed layup by Jaden McClanahan, Potter wedged his way into the key and snatched the ball away from multiple Texans, getting fouled in the process.
He subsequently sunk both free throws to give Utah Valley the lead for good, 62-60, with 1:26 left in the game.
"We try to play to his strengths all the time," Phillips said. "He just fits in with our team so well right now."
Potter's clutch play has only been one piece of the stunning turnaround for the Wolverines. It certainly hasn't been pretty, either; Utah Valley went just 11-of-22 from the free-throw line and missed all 12 of their 3-point tries Thursday.
But Phillips said it's the little things that mattered more.
"It really validates what we've been preaching all season; when the players do those things, they will see success."
Allen said he would describe the season in one word as "resilience," especially after so many close losses to the WAC's best squads.
And it paid off, at least for Thursday night, as the Wolverines proved they belonged with the top teams in the league, which is what Allen said was the message prior to the game — to prove people wrong.
"These kinds of games are what we live for," he said. "Every win feels great, but this one especially feels great; we did what we said we would do."
