Jackson Holcombe's career night lifts Utah Valley by CBU for 6th straight win

OREM — If you don't know the name Jackson Holcombe, Google it.

Or at least, start learning now.

The 6-foot-7 guard from Charleston, South Carolina by way of Orem poured in a career-high 25 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds as Utah Valley outscored California Baptist 40-27 in the second half en route to a 73-66 win in a conference opener for both teams Monday night at the UCCU Center.

Trevan Leonhardt added 14 points and eight assists for the Wolverines (11-3, 1-0 WAC), including a punctuational jam as UVU held the Lancers to joust one field goal in the final 5:26 of the win.

But Holcombe was the star, as he's been in some of the biggest moments for Utah Valley, the No. 56-rated team in the NET and preseason WAC contender in the final year of the league.

The redshirt sophomore averaged just 5.3 points and 1.1 assists in 14.6 minutes per game a year ago, his first eligible season in the program after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sacramento, California.

"I like to think that I could do the same things last year, but last year's team had other players with amazing strengths," Holcombe said. "Our priority is never about who the leading scorer is; it's the win or the loss at the end of the day.

"Whatever it takes to win at the end of the day — whether I have 25 or I score 6 — that's what we're going to do."

Still, Holcombe has a knack for big play in the biggest moments. He's averaging 17 points per game during the Wolverines' six-game winning streak including his career performance that snapped CBU's three-game run. He can do a bit of everything, too, averaging 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

"I think Jackson is a guy who has exceeded where we thought his level would be, and the reason for that is his work," UVU coach Todd Phillips said. "He put in so much work this summer, in his game, working on his drive. He works with his left hand, with his finishing, and everything.

"The other thing," he added, "is he's embraced who he is. He's not going to shoot 10 3s in a game. He's going to drive and score. He can make plays in transition. He can bully you to the basket. He's just embraced who he is. ... I'm really proud and happy for him. He's a leader of our team, and he leads by action."

Dominique Daniels Jr. led CBU (10-4, 0-1 WAC) with 17 points and six assists, including 7 points in the first half that the Lancers finished on an 8-3 run to take a 39-33 advantage at the break.

But the Wolverines opened the second half on a 12-4 run, including a fastbreak dunk by Holcombe that gave UVU a 45-43 before Martel Williams hit a technical free throw for Holcombe hanging on the rim.

Back-and-forth they went, with each punch responded by a counter-punch fitting of the WAC's two heavyweights. The Wolverines took a five-game winning streak into Monday's conference opener, the first of three meetings with the equally fiery Lancers who had an identical 10-3 record and a three-game winning streak that included a 74-67 win over Sacramento State before Christmas.

But the best player on the night was Holcombe, the former Timpanogos High star who flashed athleticism in his 6-foot-7 frame with a driving reverse layup with 8:52 as CBU never led by more than the 6-point lead with which it started the half.

"We tried to make some of other guys beat us ... and they did a nice job of making some plays," Phillips said. "But I also thought we turned them over, right? They had 23 turnovers, which is probably the stat of the game, and we had 27 points off their turnovers.

"I thought our game plan tonight was really spot on, and coach did a good job of having our guys ready to go."

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