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- Utah Valley defeated Abilene Christian 64-53, securing their fourth consecutive win.
- Dominick Nelson led with 16 points, while Carter Welling contributed defensively with blocks.
- The Wolverines will face Grand Canyon next, aiming for a second win in six matchups.
OREM — Coming off a UCCU Center record in points scored, Utah Valley started WAC play against an Abilene Christian team that alternatively tested the team's defense and ability to match up in physicality.
The Wolverines came out victorious with a 64-53 win over the Wildcats in Orem, though, securing Utah Valley's fourth straight win and fifth straight win over Abilene Christian dating back to 2021.
The 53 points allowed is the lowest the Wolverines have allowed this year, and the lowest since the Wolverines held Abilene Christian to 45 points last year in Orem.
Utah Valley has now opened WAC play with a win in three of the last four years, with the lone loss coming to Abilene Christian.
The Wolverines showed the ability to win games without needing to shoot 3-pointers, as the team hit just one in the game. Utah Valley continued its efficient assist-to-field goal percentage by sinking 23 field goals on 17 assists, good for almost 75% of baskets. For reference, the nations best is Utah at 69.7% in team assists per field goals made.
Dominick Nelson led Utah Valley in scoring with 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds.
"I felt like we stated off slow, but we were able to pull it together," Nelson said. "We weren't as tough in the first half, even though we were still winning. The second half we decided we were going to play hard and give it everything we got."
Carter Welling returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game due to do injury precaution. In his return he poured in 9 points, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 19 minutes of play.
Despite struggling on offense, Welling provided defensive reliability by blocking two shots and getting a steal in the first five defensive possessions of the game; however, Abilene Christian used it as an opportunity to drive at Welling and draw two fouls in the first eight minutes of the game.
Utah Valley struggled to match the Wildcats' physicality, turning the ball over five times in nine minutes of play while shooting 33% from the field. The Wolverines switched to a press defense and forced two quick turnovers and narrowed the deficit at 13-12 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
"I wouldn't say it caught us off guard. We played UTEP and they are the same exact team," Nelson said. "I just think we started off slow and maybe a little bit of nerves."
"They take you out of your offense and you have to create things on your own and find what is working," head coach Todd Phillips added. "We had a really good game plan coming in. ... It was a first time for a lot of those guys playing a team like ACU."
The game remained close throughout the first half, until the Wolverines figured out the Wildcats and made a small run that was capped off by a Hayden Welling dunk to push Utah Valley to a 26-20 lead with two minutes to play in the half.
The Wolverines failed to get a shot up at the buzzer and went into the second half with a slim, but gritty, 28-24 lead.
Utah Valley opened up the second half with intensity, sparking an 8-3 run — with 4 points coming from Osiris Grady — prompting an Abilene Christian timeout with 16:57 to go. Utah Valley forced four turnovers within the three minute stretch, scoring on three of the ensuing possessions.
With 11:30 left in the game, Utah Valley hit its first 3-pointer of the game when Kylin Green hit one from 24-feet to elevate the Wolverines to its largest lead of the game at 47-37.
The Wolverines ended up going through another offensive dry spell, but held the Wildcats to just 2 points of their own during the three-minute stretch.
While the Wildcats didn't make any drastic comeback, Utah Valley struggled to pull away, with the lead hovering between 8 and 12 points for the entirety of the Wolverines lead.
Utah Valley now turns its attention to Grand Canyon, who has won the WAC title in back-to-back years and was picked to win it again this year.
"We are playing one of the best teams in the country and are picked to win our league this year," Phillips said. "It is going to be a great game and a lot of energy. We need our crowd out here and when they are here we have a lot of energy."
The Wolverines and Lopes will tipoff on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. MST, where Utah Valley will look for its second win over Grand Canyon in the last six matchups.
