Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OREM — For the first time in 266-straight games, Utah Valley men's basketball failed to connect on a 3-pointer Thursday night.
But Drake Allen's putback dunk and the chance to snap a four-game losing skid may have been worth it.
Allen scored 17 points, and Trevin Dorius added 12 points, 15 rebounds and five assists as Utah Valley opened the New Year with a 65-58 win over California Baptist in front of an announced crowd of 1,553 at the UCCU Center.
Jaden McClanahan added 10 points and five rebounds for the Wolverines (7-7, 2-1 WAC), who got 9 points from former Wasatch Academy standout Osiris Grady to hold on despite making just seven field goals in the second half and shooting 0-of-8 from 3-point range.
Dominique Daniels Jr. Poured in 20 points, including four 3-pointers, with three assists to lead the Lancers (8-6, 1-2 WAC), who were outscored 38-8 in the paint and outrebounded 45-30.
"We pride ourselves in our defensive efficiency," said Dorius, the 7-foot Utah State transfer. "That's one thing we focused on, and if we hold the other team to 50 points, we can win a lot of games without hitting a three. I think it's a testament to our guys: we're going to take the right shots at the right time."
Allen scored 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting and Dorius added 4 points, nine rebounds and four assists as Utah Valley shot 47% from the field en route to a 33-23 halftime lead. The Wolverines held CBU to 26.9% from the field, including just 2-of-9 from 3-point range while outrebounding the Lancers 25-16 before the break and controlling the paint, 26-4 in the wire-to-wire first-half advantage.
#3 Drake Allen puts it back and slams it down!#GoUVU | #ValleyForgedpic.twitter.com/c9xDYrxzwd
— UVU Men's Basketball (@UVUmbb) January 5, 2024
CBU opened the second half on a 15-4 run, and took the lead on Brantly Stevenson's 3-pointer at the 15:30 mark.
But the Wolverines used three turnovers to spark a 6-0 run midway through the second half, highlighted by a dunk by Dorius.
That helped UVU rebuild a lead as large as nine, 58-49 with 4:08 remaining. The Wolverines went more than seven minutes without a field goal in the second half — a skid snapped by a Allen's slam that helped ice the game with 25 seconds left — but made 18-of-22 free throws in the second half to help the win stand up.
"I haven't seen a dunk like that out of him in a long time," Utah Valley coach Todd Phillips said of Allen's jam, which earned a technical foul for hanging on the rim in emphatic celebration.
Utah Valley stays home Saturday to host in-state rival Southern Utah. Tipoff at the UCCU Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT.
