UVU Men’s Basketball Beats Sam Houston State In Convincing Fashion
OREM, Utah – Two Western Athletic Conference powers met on Friday. The 10-2 Sam Houston State Bearkats faced off against the 9-4 Utah Valley Wolverines on the road in Orem.
As the match progressed, the two teams were in first and second place respectively in the KLSH.
MBB | @UVUmbb hosts major league foe Sam Houston Thursday night at the team @WACsports opening. Sam Houston sits atop the WAC standings with a 10-2 record and holds the highest NCAA NET ranking in the WAC at No. 20.#UVUhoops #UVU #WAChoops https://t.co/Tj7qA8VvSo
— UVU Athletics (@GoUVU) December 28, 2022
The opening minutes were filled with aggressive play and hustle from both sides. Aziz Bandaogo had a strong two-handed slam that capped the game’s energy early on.
Dunk by #55 Aziz Bandaogo pic.twitter.com/G8919kIEOj
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines opened with a 14-7 lead thanks to efficient three-point shooting. UVU shot 5-9 from deep in the first half.
#0 Justin Harmon for three pic.twitter.com/oOUmDdYIsv
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Defense was the key for UVU. They forced the Bearkats to shoot rebounds after getting some blocks when they got into the lane.
Big Time Blocks by #55 Aziz Bandaogo and #0 Justin Harmon pic.twitter.com/AKBPT8VpI4
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines led the Bearkats at the half, 38-25. Both teams had 8 turnovers in the first half. But UVU had 15 points to Sam Houston’s three.
The first part pic.twitter.com/kfwmO5lOSJ
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The Wolverines extended their lead to 49-30 after the first four minutes of the second half. The three-point shot continued.
#1 Let’s Darthard for three pic.twitter.com/wPgTRXWWYk
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
UVU held onto its 20-point lead for most of the second half.
#0 Justin Harmon with the finesse pic.twitter.com/hFiUtmwqX5
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The highlights continued to pile up for the Wolverines. Be it hard blocks…
#2 Tim Ceaser and #11 Tahj Small protecting the rim pic.twitter.com/D6zPOS6qI4
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Or powerful dunks. UVU put on a show on both ends of the floor.
#3 Blaze Nield to #55 Aziz Bandaogo for SLAM pic.twitter.com/CUCqkpyqXY
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
Tim Fuller caught some alley-oops in the game. The best of them with 2 minutes left in regulation.
Alley-Oop from #4 Trey Woodbury to #5 Tim Fuller pic.twitter.com/KccxnDOX9W
— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) December 30, 2022
The final was 80-64. The win snaps 80 points scored in 6 of the last 8 games for the Wolverines.
