Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
OREM — Following Utah Valley's win over Grand Canyon, head coach Todd Phillips told media after the game he wanted his point guard, Trevan Leonhardt, to shoot the ball more, describing him as a "great shooter."
With three minutes left and down by 2 points against Cal Baptist, Leonhardt let it fly for his first 3-point attempt of the game and netted it, giving Utah Valley a 1-point lead.
Not only did it put Utah Valley in front for the moment, the team didn't look back and came out victorious over the Lancers, defeating Cal Baptist 75-69 for the team's sixth straight win.
"We trust him; he is a leader for us," Phillips said after the win. "He is a top assist guy in this league, and he is also a really good defender. He puts some pressure on himself, and that was a huge one he hit. I am proud of him."
"Carter (Welling) made a great pass and told me to shoot it. I think I only had one option, so I let that thing go," Leonhardt said. "We are always trying to get the best shot available."
Utah Valley struggled from beyond the arc, missing their first seven shots from 3-point range until Hayden Welling sunk one late in the second half. Utah Valley hit three 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes to come out on top.
Dominick Nelson continued his hot stretch, dropping 15 points paired with seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals to lead the Wolverines in three of those four categories.
"He is really good, he is almost unguardable in transition," Leonhardt said on Nelson. "He is quick, shifty, and he is a good playmaker too. He is fantastic."
Tanner Toolson also continued his strong conference play, putting in 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks as well.
The Wolverines struggled to get anything to drop early, missing their first nine field goal attempts. The team got its first bucket to drop at the 15 minute mark by Nelson. Utah Valley then managed to hit three straight buckets to take an early 6-4 lead with the first media timeout not coming until the 13:18 mark in the first half.
While holding a 14-11 lead with 8:21 to go, the Wolverines seemed to figure out the Lancers' defensive scheme by getting solid looks in the paint, but nothing was falling. Cal Baptist sprouted a 10-0 run, backed by two 3-pointers, and suddenly had a 21-14 lead in a two minute stretch.
The Wolverines answered the Lancers run with a small spurt of their own, forcing three turnovers, resulting in 6 points, with 4 of them by Nelson coming off the break.
Suddenly, Utah Valley held a 3-point lead, backed by an increase in defensive intensity resulting in more turnovers and transition buckets. Cal Baptist went nearly five minutes without a field goal while Utah Valley had made five of its last seven.
Utah Valley closed the half on a 15-4 run and completely flipped momentum heading into the second half.
In the second half, the teams traded baskets before the Lancers hit back-to-back 3s from Adam Moussa and its leading scorer Dominique Daniels Jr. to pull ahead to 56-51 lead, putting Utah Valley in the danger zone of falling behind big.
But then the 3-pointers started to fall.
Hayden Welling hit the Wolverines' first 3-pointer of the game, followed up by a Nelson bucket that tied the game at 56-56. Still, Cal Baptist was hot from the field, hitting eight of their next 10 shots.
After another 3-point drought, Leonhardt buried a 3-pointer from 28 feet and Toolson followed it up with one of his own. The Wolverines suddenly held a 67-63 lead with just under three minuets to go.
Utah Valley forced a miss on the ensuing possession and quickly pushed the ball up the court for Osiris Grady to get the bucket and the foul. Despite missing the free throw, the Wolverines still held a curcial six point lead with two minutes to play.
Cal Baptist answered back with a free throw and a 3-pointer of their own to trim its deficit to two points with a minute to play, but the Wolverines weren't phased. Toolson dished a perfect pass to Grady who slammed it home for a four-point lead.
The Wolverines were able to hold off the Lancers comeback attempts by sinking all four free-throw attempts at the end of the game.
