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OREM — Grand Canyon withstood a late Utah Valley charge to spoil Senior Day and hold on for an 86-79 win Saturday afternoon.
In a physical game featuring the top two scoring offenses in the WAC, a total of 55 fouls were called leading to 68 free throws. Ivory Young hit a 3-pointer to pull the Wolverines within three with 26 seconds left, but the Antelopes got a wide-open dunk after breaking the host's ensuing full-court press.
Grand Canyon's lead, which was extended to 10 early in the second half, was cut to two with 3:09 remaining. Yet the Wolverines struggled to get open shots down the stretch while the Antelopes made 10 of 14 free throws on the other end to put the game out of reach.
"I thought the whistle was really tough tonight," Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope said. "It was really disappointing. But that's part of the game, too. It's one of the factors you have to play with as a team. We didn't manage that as well as we should have."
The visitors were 31 of 43 from the foul line, and Utah Valley went 19 of 25 from the stripe, as Pope actively disputed a number of late calls that gave Grand Canyon free throws.
"I didn't expect it to be the way it was.I saw the game way different. And that happens sometimes," Pope said. "One of the beautiful things about this game is you're going to have games where you have to overcome that also."
Dayon Goodman fouled out with 2:10 left, significantly reducing the height Utah Valley was able to employ. The Wolverines currently have just five healthy players on scholarship and are especially short on big men.
Joshua Braun showed why he's a lock for the all-WAC first team, and one of the top candidates for league player of the year. The Antelopes' leading scorer finished with 30 points.
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"He's a very, very versatile player and can score in a lot of different ways," Pope said. "He certainly displayed that tonight."
Point guard Marcel Davis led the Wolverines with 22 points and added five steals and four assists in his final 31 regular-season minutes at the UCCU Center. He smiled as he said he wished he could start the season over because of how much he's enjoyed it.
"Bittersweet," he explained. "They tell you that it goes by fast and you just think you have all this time, but it really does go by fast. I loved playing this year; I love the guys on the team; I love the coaches. They made it a special year for me, and I can't thank them enough for that."
Pope said he's developed a special bond with Davis as his floor general given the freedom to allow his team to operate with when it has the ball.
"I don't know how long it will be before I have another point guard that figures out what I want as well as he does," Pope said.
Along with Davis, four other players were honored before their final game at Utah Valley. Jaden Jackson, Cory Cardwell, Alex Carr and Darrious Hamilton joined Davis at center court, as each senior was accompanied by family members and took time to embrace Pope and pose for photos next to their framed black and green jerseys.
"I asked these guys when we started the season if they would commit to setting a baseline for what this program will be from here on out," Pope said of his seniors.
He added that he could only remember one or two nonconference games where they did not play with a high level of energy and left everything they have on the floor.
"That is a very high standard set for the teams we're going to have here in the future," Pope continued. "I have six guys sitting out watching that every day. And those guys probably don't even appreciate that standard, but that's what this senior class has done as well as putting together an incredibly respectable season so far."
Utah Valley, despite its inexperience and glaring lack of depth, locked up the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, which starts Wednesday.
"I think we're owed some good karma right now," Pope said after describing some of the close losses the Wolverines have endured recently. "We expect that to come to us."
Davis and Pope were confident in their postgame remarks that Utah Valley's season is not yet over, and they expect to win their first-round contest.
The Wolverines will likely play Missouri-Kansas City in their WAC tournament opener unless UT Rio Grand Valley beats New Mexico State Saturday night. Kyle Spencer is a freelance journalist residing in Orem. You can find him on Twitter @kyledspencer or reach him by email at kspence04@gmail.com.
