Utah Valley’s run in the NIT was short-lived.
The Wolverines trailed by 16 points at halftime in Wednesday’s first-round game at the UCCU Center in Orem and led briefly in the second half before losing to George Washington 79-78 when a potential game-winning field goal attempt was blocked twice on the final possession.
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This was Vocational College’s first home loss in more than two years since March 2, 2024, and ended a 27-game winning streak at home.
The Wolverines cap off an otherwise successful season, winning the WAC regular season championship with an overall record of 25-9 and falling just short of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
Despite trailing 45-29 with 16 minutes left, UVU had two chances to win in the final minute, but a Trevan Leonhardt 3-pointer to tie the game at one with 28.6 seconds left resulted in a turnover.
UVU had chances to take the lead both times, but leading scorer Jackson Holcomb was blocked.
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After the timeout, the Wolverines began to attack, and Holcomb broke into the paint and his jump shot was blocked by 6-foot-8 forward Tyrone Marshall with 12 seconds left. The two sides battled for rebounds, eventually taking possession and handing possession back to UVU.
Holcomb had the ball in his hands again after the inbounds and he drove again, this time trying a left-handed jumper from the left side of the basket. Marshall made a defensive miscue early in the game, but he recovered and blocked Holcomb’s shot again and George Washington held on for the win.
It was the second straight heartbreaking ending for the Wolverines.
Four days ago, UVU trailed by two points in the WAC championship game when Isaac Davis’ late dunk attempt clanked off the back of the rim and Cal Baptist beat the Wolverines 63-61.
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The goal seemed to impact UVU in the first half, as it allowed George Washington to shoot 60 percent from the field before halftime.
The Revolutionaries took their first double-digit lead of the game just over 11 minutes into the game and then went on an 8-0 run to end the first half and make it 45-29 at halftime.
Trey Autry hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for George Washington and hit his final six shots of the first half. It was Autry’s third 3-pointer in the opening 20 minutes, and four Revolutionaries scored seven or more points in the first half.
The 16-point deficit was the largest that UVU had faced at halftime all year, but in the second half, the Wolverines turned the tables.
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UVU went on an 8-0 run to pull within 54-46 with 14:04 left, but George Washington hit three 3-pointers in the next few minutes, including two from Autry, to keep the game a multi-possession game.
Autry’s fifth 3-pointer with just over seven minutes left in the game brought the score to 66-56, and the Wolverines went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time since leading 7-6.
Hayden Welling hit consecutive layups, and then Tyler Weaver hit a three-pointer to chase the score to 66-63.
UVU forced a turnover and on the ensuing possession, Davis took a shot in the zone and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but grabbed the rebound and scored to give UVU a 67-66 lead.
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Unfortunately for the Wolverines, that was their final lead of the night, even though George Washington never led by more than four points after that moment.
The two teams traded leads for much of the rest of the game, with Autry’s sixth and final 3-pointer giving the Revolutionrs a 75-71 lead with 2:37 left to help set up the final stretch.
Holcomb ended up leading all scorers with 27 points — he shot 6 of 16 from the field but 14 of 15 from the free throw line — and added seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Wheeling and Weaver each scored 12 points for UVU, which lost despite leading 23-7 in turnover points and 20-0 in fast break points.
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The Revolutionaries hit three more three-pointers than the Wolverines, with a score of 11 to 8 and a shooting percentage of 49.1% to 44.8%.
Autry finished with 18 points, all three-pointers, and Marshall also made three three-pointers, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.
Rafael Castro scored 14 points in the second half to lead George Washington with 22 points and added 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
The loss ended UVU’s season, and George Washington advanced to the NIT second round, where it will face New Mexico State after the Lobos defeated Sam Houston.
