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OREM — Sometimes, it is about how you start.
At least it was for Utah Valley in a crucial bounce back win Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.
Justin Harmon scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, and Trey Woodbury added 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists as the Wolverines held off New Mexico State 77-72 to keep the Aggies winless in Western Athletic Conference play.
Aziz Bandaogo had 16 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots for the Wolverines (17-6, 8-3 WAC), who kept pace with Seattle and Southern Utah near the top of the conference.
Anthony Roy scored a game-high 23 points for New Mexico State (7-14, 0-9 WAC), and Xavier Pinson scored 17 for the Aggies, who nearly overcame a 24-3 first-half deficit but never led by more than two in the second half.
But Harmon wouldn't let it get any worse, scoring 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers after halftime to keep a New Mexico State team with three of his childhood friends at bay.
"Down the stretch, either you were going to put up or shut up," said Harmon, who described Saturday's game as "must-win" after a 79-67 setback Thursday night at in-state rival Southern Utah. "We put up, and we had to," Harmon said. "Good teams don't lose two in a row, and we're a great team. We made it our duty to win the game by any way possible."
This one was over shortly after it began. Or at least, it should have been.
Donning flamingly fluorescent green jerseys with the unpalatably nicknamed "Devil Bears" emblazoned across the chest for the first time this season, the Wolverines used an 18-0 run to jump out to a 24-3 advantage less than seven minutes into the game on Woodbury's 3-pointer, and held the Aggies to just 1-of-11 shooting early.
The Aggies came back, shooting 36% from the field in the first half and cutting the deficit as close as two, 36-34, after New Mexico State forced eight first-half turnovers.
Bandaogo had 11 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists, and Darthard hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the half to help the Wolverines cling to a 39-36 edge at the break.
Utah Valley carried an 11-game win streak in conference play before the second-longest streak in program history was snapped against Seattle U. The Wolverines also had a seven-game road win streak — the third-longest such streak in the nation — upended Thursday night 79-67 at in-state rival Southern Utah.
Every time, they bounced back. The same was true when New Mexico State tried to claw back, too.
"Conference play, there's nothing like it: How focused and locked in every team is," said UVU coach Mark Madsen, whose team returned from Cedar City around 3 a.m. MT Friday morning. "To be able to bounce back is huge for our team. … New Mexico State was waiting on us, rested and ready to go — and they showed it.
"Sometimes you just have to have the mental fortitude to prepare for a game, to get ready, and to come out and produce."
The hosts briefly fell behind twice in the opening three minutes of the second half, before Darthard and Woodbury immediately hit 3s to keep the Wolverines in front.
Still, UVU couldn't pull away down the stretch.
Harmon and DaJuan Gordon exchanged 3-pointers midway through the second half. Harmon then capped a 10-2 run with a 3-pointer with 6:15 remaining to put the Wolverines up 67-61.
That enabled the hosts to do just enough to hold on for the 5-point win.
"You can't measure the size of someone's heart, but Justin Harmon has a huge heart. Justin Harmon loves his teammates," Madsen said. "He's made some huge plays for this team, ever since he got off the plane from Chicago. He's been making huge plays for UVU since he got here.
"There are always ups and downs, but Justin is made for big moments."
Darthard finished with 15 points and three rebounds for Utah Valley, who shot 47% from the field and 9-of-21 from 3-point range with 13 turnovers.
