Darthard's 31 helps Utah Valley hold off Southern Utah in key WAC battle

OREM — Saturday was a really good day for Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen.

Not only did his alma mater Stanford hand No. 4 Arizona the Wildcats' fourth loss of the season, but Madsen's Wolverines took control of the Western Athletic Conference with five games remaining in the regular season.

Le'Tre Darthard poured in a career-best 31 points and nine rebounds, and Tim Fuller added 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists as Utah Valley held off Southern Utah 90-83 to snap a five-game losing skid to their in-state rivals to the south.

Tahj Small added 10 points and five rebounds for the Wolverines (20-6, 11-2 WAC), who beat their in-state rivals to the south for the first time since Nov. 22, 2014. That was two coaches ago, and the last time the Wolverines won the WAC regular-season crown.

But more important to UVU was the last time the two teams played this year, a 79-67 loss in Cedar City. That was all the motivation the Wolverines needed.

"It was just revenge, really," said Darthard, who shot 6-of-14 from the field with three 3-pointers. "This game meant a lot to us, to give us a little space up top, but also to show that we could play with these teams. We've got to come out in the second half the way we did in the first … but today, we weathered the storm."

Drake Allen had 17 points and five rebounds to lead SUU (17-9, 9-4 WAC), which got 17 points from Jason Spurgin. Tevian Jones had 15 points and five boards for the Thunderbirds.

But that first game at Southern Utah, even in a loss, gave the Wolverines all they needed.

"We made a few adjustments from our first game at Southern Utah," said Madsen, who won his 20th game at UVU for the second consecutive season. "We absolutely made some adjustments, and I think that contributed to a strong start. We tried to use some of those adjustments on both sides of the ball."

With the win, the Wolverines (20-6, 11-2 WAC) take a two-game advantage over second-place Southern Utah with five games remaining. Wins in the next three road games at Seattle, Tarleton State and Abilene Christian will clinch at least a share of the WAC regular-season title for Utah Valley and a top seed in the conference tournament in Las Vegas.

Utah Valley shot 46% from the field in the first half, and Tahj Small's 3-pointer helped the Wolverines take a double-digit lead with an 11-3 run spurt on a 3-pointer with 4:11 to go in the half.

Darthard had 15 points, and Fuller added 11 points and nine rebounds as UVU outrebounded the Thunderbirds 28-14 en route to a 4-33 halftime lead. Tim Caesar added 6 points and four rebounds for the Wolverines.

Spurgin had 9 points at the break to lead Southern Utah, which shot just 38% from the field and connected on just two field goals in the final seven minutes of the half.

Southern Utah opened the second half on a 15-2 run, including Jones' 3-pointer with 14:54 remaining to cap a run of 13-straight and pull within 50-48.

The Thunderbirds weren't going away. Not that the hosts expected them to in front of an announced crowd of 5,168 fans split between red and green.

"Every in-state game is really a gift to the basketball community in Utah," Madsen said. "We've played Southern Utah every year I've been here, and that says a lot about their program. What they've done to build their program is phenomenal.

"I think that's one of the great things about the WAC are the in-state rivalries. There's a lot of good basketball here in Utah."

Utah Valley took the punch. But the Wolverines didn't collapse, extending the lead by as much as five into the final 10 minutes.

Trey Woodbury shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range, but finished with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds and a second-half block that kept the Thunderbirds at bay.

"I love Trey Woodbury," Madsen said. "The heart of a lion, he knows every last read of our offense and defense. Trey is such a special player."

The Thunderbirds cut the deficit inside a single possession several times down the stretch. But UVU did just enough to hold on for the win, including four straight makes from the free-throw line by Darthard to close out the game in the final 30 seconds and keep all of Utah Valley's goals in front of it.

"It feels really good," Darthard said. "But for us to keep getting those goals, we've got to enjoy tonight, come back to practice on Monday, and do what coach always says: go 1-0. If we keep going 1-0, we're going to set ourselves up pretty good."

Utah Valley plays at Seattle next Saturday at 6 p.m. MST. The Thunderbirds host Utah Tech next Friday at 7 p.m. MST.

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