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OREM — It's not quite championship Wednesday for the Wolverines, but it's pretty close.
Le'Tre Darthard score 14 points with four assists, and Justin Harmon added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists as Utah Valley clinched at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference title with a 78-59 win over UT Arlington.
Aziz Bandaogo added 10 points, 11 rebounds and two assists for the Wolverines (23-7, 14-3 WAC), who held the Mavericks to 37% shooting and outrebounded the visitors from Arlington, Texas, 43-28 to overcome 17 turnovers.
It's the Wolverines' third regular-season title since joining the WAC in 2013, and the second in three seasons under fourth-year head coach Mark Madsen, who now has led Utah Valley to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
"Players make programs, and every single player in our locker room has a huge share of what we do," Madsen said. "I'm proud of our players, because they've put so much work into it."
But to celebrate the title in front of an announced crowd of 2,574 in a midweek game at home was only fitting after a season that included nonconference road wins over BYU and Oregon and a home win over Sam Houston State, its next closest contender in the WAC.
"So many of these fans, family members and community members have been with us from the start," Madsen said. "They've supported us when things have been good, and they supported us when things haven't gone our way.
"UVU is about community. This is a great family community, a great basketball community, and that's what sports is all about. This arena is filled with friends and supporters, and we appreciate them."
Kyron Gibson had 16 points to lead UT Arlington (11-19, 6-11 WAC), and Dario Domingos scored 10 for the Mavericks.
The WAC regular-season title clinches an automatic berth to the NIT, if the champ isn't selected for the NCAA Tournament. But that's the first shot for Utah Valley clinched a No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament next week at Orleans Arena. The Wolverines currently hold the top spot in the WAC resume seeding system designed by esteemed college basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy, but second-place Sam Houston State — which held off Steven F. Austin 64-59 in overtime Wednesday night — remains within striking distance with one game to go.
Utah Valley can clinch an outright WAC title with a win Friday over Stephen F. Austin. But a conference title was only one of the Wolverines' goals.
"It's just another milestone that we checked off," Harmon said. "Hopefully this helps us be better in the WAC Vegas tournament, and we can win that and get to the NCAA Tournament."
Utah Valley shot 40% from the field to cling to a 32-31 halftime lead. But the Mavericks nearly matched the hosts shot-for-shot, including Gibson's 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers before the break.
Brandyn Talbot gave the Mavericks a 31-28 lead with a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left in the half, capping a 12-4 run over the final six minutes before Darthard drained a pair of free throws and Bandaogo put the Wolverines back in front with a buzzer-beating putback dunk to end the half.
Bandaogo had a team-high 8 points, five rebounds and a block to lead the Wolverines at the break.
"They got loose in the first half for some 3s," Madsen said. "But I do think our defense tightened up, the awareness, the hustle and the energy. That was a key catalyst to help us win the game."
Utah Valley made just four of its first 10 shots out of the break. But Tahj Small and Darthard hit consecutive threes to pace a 12-2 run, and the Wolverines were off and running with a 55-44 advantage midway through the second half.
The Wolverines led by as much as 17 after an 8-0 run with 5:38 to go, and UT Arlington shot just 33% from the field in the second half as UVU pulled away for the title-clinching victory.
Every time Utah Valley registers three consecutive stops, the players earn a kill. Coaches preach to get at least six "kills" in a game.
At halftime, the Wolverines had one — still work to do.
"We needed to lock in defensively," Harmon said. "We were trading buckets too much. We just stayed solid on defense and stayed true to what we knew."
Utah Valley tips off at 6 p.m. MST Friday in the regular-season finale.
