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OREM — Utah Valley had the second-place team in the Western Athletic Conference on the ropes for 25 minutes and 22 seconds Thursday at the UCCU Center.
The other 14 minutes and 38 seconds, however, made the difference — again.
Punctuated with a thunderous tomahawk dunk by Lue Williams, completing a 21-point night for him, it was the Tarleton State Texans (16-7, 9-3 WAC) who had the final say in a 72-61 road win over Utah Valley (9-14, 4-8 WAC) in front of a stunned crowd of 1,985 fans.
"You've got to put two halves together," Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips said, in what's become an all-too-common refrain during the recent slump for Utah Valley.
The Texans were held to just 32% shooting in the first half, but erupted for 49 second-half points, shooting a sizzling 56% from the field. It marked the second consecutive game where Utah Valley gave up 40-plus second-half points.
"They amped up their pressure and they punched us in the mouth in the second half," Phillips said.
Amping up the pressure was exactly what the Texans did. Tarleton State finished with 11 steals, to just two for Utah Valley. They converted 15 Wolverine turnovers into 20 points, which proved to be big down the stretch.
Tarleton State acting head coach Joseph Jones, who has now gone 14-5 since regular head coach Billy Gillispie took a medical leave of absence after just four games, credited the players for stepping up.
"We said some things in the locker room, and they just responded and made plays," Jones said.
One of the players who responded the biggest was forward KiAndre Gaddy. The Texans' leader in rebounds picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, but scored all 10 of his points in the second half to propel them to the win.
"He's a big part of our team," Jones said. "He came out early, but he came back in and just did what he did."
Early on, however, it was Utah Valley who was doing whatever they wanted. The Wolverines shot 47% from the field, and outhustled the Texans to a 24-13 advantage in rebounds, and cruised to a 38-23 halftime lead. Utah Valley outscored Tarleton State 35-16 to close the half after being down 7-3 early.
Jones, though shaken, said he knew what his team was capable of going into the second half.
"I've seen it every day in practice," he said. "They find a way to pick it back up and get going."
It was exactly what the Texans did to begin the second half. Lue Williams' early 3-pointer tied the game at 45-45, putting all the pressure back on the Wolverines.
To their credit, Phillips' team weathered the storm, capped it off with a no-look, behind-the-back assist by Drake Allen to Ethan Potter, who scored a career-high 19 points, to put Utah Valley back up 55-53.
Then it all came unglued.
The Texans used a 19-6 run to shut the door, holding Utah Valley to just 1-of-11 shooting in the final three minutes. Overall, the Wolverines went 7-of-23 shooting in the second half, including 1-of-10 from the 3-point line.
"When you can't score, your energy drops," Phillips said. "They were able to get out in transition a lot more because of it, and that's what made the difference."
It also didn't help that the Texans continued to hit shots when it mattered. Jakorie Smith, held in check all night, hit two big 3-pointers, including the dagger with just over a minute to go to give Tarleton State a 66-58 lead — their largest of the game.
"We did a great job defending him," Phillips said. "That's how you want to guard him, but the fact he was still able to hit it hurt us. That's just what he does; he hits big shots."
The inability to put two halves together, close out opponents, and hit big shots when it matters are all too familiar things for the young Utah Valley team. Time is running out to find answers, but Phillips said he knows his team won't quit, especially with Abilene Christian coming to town Saturday.
"We were playing hard, but now we know we've got to respond and score the ball so we can put two halves together," Phillips said.
