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LAS VEGAS — Utah Valley men's basketball built up a 13-point halftime lead, and found itself just 15 minutes away from a Western Athletic Conference quarterfinal win in Mark Pope's first year as head coach.
And then it came crashing down.
Martez Harrison scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as Missouri-Kansas City overcame a double-digit halftime deficit and rallied past the fourth-seeded Wolverines, 80-78 in a stunning comeback Thursday at Orleans Arena.
"My teammates and my coaches just kept telling me to stay positive the whole game," Harrison said. "Early in the game, it was tough for us to finish at the rim.
"We went in (to the locker room) and made a lot of adjustments, and I think it helped me and helped my team to win this game."
The Kangaroos (12-18) advanced to face top-seeded and tournament heavy favorite New Mexico State at 7 p.m. MST in Las Vegas.
"They hurt us in a way nobody has hurt us all season," Pope said. "They changed the tempo in the second half, and congratulations to (UMKC) on the chance to move on.
"I couldn't be prouder of my guys. What they've accomplished this year may not be apparent to people outside, but what these guys have done is extraordinary. I'm very blessed to have been able to coach this group."
Jaden Jackson led Utah Valley (12-18) with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including three of the Wolverines' nine 3-pointers. Damon Goodman supplied 18 points and two blocked shots for Dayon Goodman, and Konner Frey added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines started the game with the hot hand, nailing six 3-pointers in the first half to take a 44-31 halftime lead on Jackson's jumper at the horn. Neither team led by more than four points in the opening minutes until Davis drained a triple with 3:59 left in the half, and the Wolverines ended the opening 20 minutes on an 8-3 spurt.
"I would've liked to make a little run in this tournament. It's tough," Jackson said. "They slowed us up a little with the press, but it was nothing crazy. They just played a great game, and we weren't able to pull through at the end."
But Harrison, who made just 3-of-9 shots for eight points at the break, led the charge in the second half. The 2015 WAC player of the year and AP honorable mention All-American roared out of the gate, pulling the 'Roos within 57-53 on a steal-and-score with 12:36 on the clock.
LaVell Boyd scored three of his 18 points for UMKC with a 3-pointer at the 10:20 mark of the second half to tie the game the first time at 60-60.
But the Wolverines didn't panic. Jackson nailed a three along with a pair of free throws to keep UVU ahead — but Harrison capped an 8-1 run for UMKC with 4:45 left to take its first lead of the half, 71-70.
UMKC out-rebounded Utah Valley 49-34. Darius Austin had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the 'Roos, who had a 17-4 margin on the offensive glass.
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"I thought that was one of our big keys offensively," UMKC coach Kareem Richardson said. "We tried to create second and third opportunities for us, and we did a good job of that. In the first half, we had 12 offensive rebounds and didn't convert on very many. We missed a ton of layups in the first half.
"The guys did a better job, beginning with Martez, of finishing at the rim. We were getting to the rim in the first half, but we weren't finishing."
Harrison paced another 8-0 run moments later, when his transition bucket gave the 'Roos their largest lead of the game, 79-75 with 2:17 left.
UVU chipped away and had a chance to win it in the final 10 seconds, but Frey's 3-point attempt was off the mark and UMKC held on for the win.
"It wasn't drawn up specifically for me, but like a lot of our offense, if things open up then we take it," Frey said. "It felt good coming off."
The Wolverines end the season with a 12-18 record and a roster that was dramatically different than the one Pope originally intended to use at the start of his first Division I head coaching job. Seniors Davis, Jackson, Darrious Hamilton, Cory Caldwell and Alex Carr move on from a program that brings in a slew of new talent, including eligible D-I transfers Isaac Neilson (BYU), Brandon Randolph (Xavier), Josh Pollard (Kansas) and one of the top scorers in Division II in Jordan Poydras (St. Cloud State).
"It was an unbelievable year because of the guys that I got to coach," an emotional Pope said while fighting back tears. "That's what made it special. I was really fortunate as a first-year head coach to have a locker room like I did, and the leadership like I did and guys willing to sacrifice like they did. We improved on the first of the season in such a remarkable way.
"I honestly feel blessed to have been able to coach this team. There's a very, very deep sadness on our part right now."
