Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
OREM — On Homecoming Day, the Utah Valley Wolverines were not about to let it become Groundhog Day.
The team that's struggled to put two complete halves together picked the perfect time to do so — and now, a shot at another top-four team in the Western Athletic Conference awaits on senior day.
Led by another monster performance by Ethan Potter, coming one rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds, and getting contributions on both ends from all over the roster, the Wolverines (14-14, 9-8 WAC) vaulted into sole possession of fifth place in the WAC with a gritty 71-62 victory over Stephen F. Austin Saturday at the UCCU Center.
All attention now shifts to next Saturday's showdown with UT Arlington, who knocked off Utah Tech 89-78 earlier Saturday to stay in fourth place in the conference with a 10-7 record.
"That's the most complete game we've had in a while," Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips said.
It certainly was, and there was no better time to do it. The Wolverines shot a scorching 58.3% from the field for the entire game, reaching a mind-boggling 62% midway through the second half.
The Lumberjacks (14-13, 7-9 WAC), despite dropping their fourth straight game, still forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 19 points. SFA was fifth in the nation coming into the game in forcing takeaways.
Forward Nana Antwi-Boasiako led Stephen F. Austin with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Five players for the Lumberjacks accumulated two steals on the afternoon, as well.
"It's typical when you play SFA," Phillips said. "You think it's easy and then they turn up the pressure."
The Wolverines countered the pressure by dropping 19 assists on their 28 made field goals, 11 of them by guard Jaden McClanahan.
"I'm just trying to make the right read," he said about his success running the offense.
Where it really counted, however, McClanahan said, was on the defensive end. Utah Valley held the Lumberjacks to just 38% from the field for the entire game, despite SFA getting hot in the second half.
"Even when we had lulls where we didn't score, having the defense there to help us was great," McClanahan said.
That was what helped the Wolverines give the Lumberjacks a taste of their own medicine. Utah Valley forced 18 turnovers of their own — 13 of them steals — converting them into 21 points. McClanahan had two of the Wolverines' pickpockets on the afternoon.
The Wolverines also outscored Stephen F. Austin in the paint (36-14) and fastbreak points (17-6), but had the biggest advantage in bench points. Regular starter Caleb Stone-Carrawell, a transfer from Austin Peay, went a sizzling 5-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point land. He alone had 14 of the 22 bench points for Utah Valley.
McClanahan said those contributions are what they expect every game.
"It's all about converting your opportunities," he said. "Whoever comes in, we have to make team-winning plays."
Stone-Carrawell certainly did, and Phillips said his firepower has recently sparked the second unit for Utah Valley.
"When he's hitting his shots, he gets going, and we've gotten really good recently because of it," Phillips said.
Another area where Utah Valley excelled was keeping SFA off the free-throw line. The Lumberjacks had only 12 total free throws on Saturday, well below their average of 24 attempts per game, which was fifth in the nation.
"Sometimes when teams go on runs, that's when we start fouling, and giving up those opportunities," Phillips said. "I thought our guards did a great job of moving their feet and keeping their hands back, and so did our bigs."
It was a stark contrast to the last meeting between the Wolverines and Lumberjacks. SFA shot 28 total free throws, making 23 of them, in their 77-72 victory over Utah Valley on Feb. 1.
"We pulled up the clips from last game and saw what they were trying to do," McClanahan said. "We just tried to wall up, and it really limited their touches at the foul line."
It made a difference, as the Wolverines gathered seven blocks on the afternoon, none louder than Tanner Toolson's ferocious rejection into the front row of the student section, known as The Den, with 15.2 seconds left.
The swat sent them and the rest of 2,357 fans gathered into a frenzy as Toolson let out a roar to the student section.
Phillips said the noise made a difference, especially when SFA was making their final push.
"Our guys feed off that," he said. "It certainly makes it hard for the coach to let the guys know what to do, though, when that happens."
The Wolverines, however, look like they know what to do, especially since the start of their five-game winning streak. After being adrift in eighth place at the start of February, they suddenly have surged into position to potentially steal a bye into the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament.
"We've been trying to play a full 40 minutes through the last five games," McClanahan said. "There's bumps in the road, but we're still trying to win."
And Phillips said his young team is within striking distance of that goal — just in time for March.
"It's getting pretty close to where we want to be," Phillips said. "I'm just really proud of the way the guys played."
