Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
OREM — Utah Valley earned its fifth win of the season after a steal by Jaden McClanahan sealed a 78-72 victory over Seattle Wednesday night.
With 28 seconds left on the clock and Seattle trailing Utah Valley by 3, McClanahan stole the ball and drew a foul on Cameron Tyson, giving the Wolverines a 4-point lead.
"Players got to make plays," Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips said. "We can do X's and O's, we can walk through everything for five hours, but at the end of the day someone's gonna make a play, and that was just a big read by Jaden."
McClanahan had an efficient night from 3-point range and from the free-throw line shooting 3-of-4 and 6-of-7, respectively, to end the game with 19 points.
The Wolverines had three players post double-digit scores for the night, including McClanahan's performance. Caleb Stone-Carrawell had 20 points and three rebounds, while Trevin Dorius added 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Free throws were the death of the Wolverines during the first half, shooting 9-of-14 from the line; however, Utah Valley changed its fate in the second half, shooting 21-of-24, and the final 11 points all coming from free throws.
"When those guys get to the line, I feel pretty good," Phillips said.
The Redhawks came out of the gate strong, taking an 8-3 over the Wolverines. Utah Valley soon took an 11-10 lead after a jumper from Stone-Carraawell, but the momentum halted for a stretch as the Wolverines followed it up with a five-minute scoring drought.
The Wolverines took some time to get back into the game, and eventually took a 5-point lead, 30-25, after a 3-pointer from Tanner Toolson.
Utah Valley entered the second half down 35-34, and the rest of the game stayed within that range as both teams fought for a one possession game until the final seconds.
"These games mean a lot," McClanahan said. "This is not time to mess around ... every possession counts."
Seattle also had three players finish with double-digit scores. Tyson led the team with 23 points, Ale Schumacher added 21 points and seven assists, and Bran Chatfield had 10 points and six rebounds.
Utah Valley will travel to St. George Saturday to take on in-state opponent Utah Tech.
