OREM — In an exhibition game Thursday, the Utah Valley State men's basketball team lost 59-57 to Division II foe Mesa State.
"They packed their defense in on us, and we really hadn't prepared (for that)," UVSC coach Dick Hunsaker said. "We had trouble, and didn't really want to jump up and shoot the ball on confidence on the perimeter.
"Again, this is an exhibition game. These are to try to learn more about what we are going to do and accomplish."
The Wolverines were down nine points with a minute to go in the game, but a furious rally fueled by full-court pressure helped UVSC tie the score at 57-57 with 20 seconds to play.
"Presses only work because (the other) team is either outmanned or they're panicked," Hunsaker said. "At that time, we kind of had Mesa on their heals, so we started to stay with the press and see what it would give us."
The Mavericks held the ball for the final shot, and when Mesa State center Andy Classick missed a short turnaround in the paint, the game appeared headed for overtime.
Stephen Soriano, however, had other plans. The 6-foot-7 Mesa State junior leaped above a crowd of players to tip in the rebound from Classick's miss with only 0.7 seconds left on the clock to put the Mavericks ahead.
A last-gasp, full court pass by UVSC on the resulting inbounds fell short, and Mesa State escaped with the 59-57 victory.
Mavericks redshirt freshman Darnell Jones (Cottonwood High) — who attended Utah Valley State for a year before heading south to Mesa — hit two three-pointers in the final minutes of play.
"(Jones) had a couple of big shots, big threes that were instrumental in giving them a cushion down the stretch that maybe made a difference in the game," Hunsaker said.
Classick led the Mavericks with 13 points. Jones added 12.
Senior guard Sylvester Allison was the leading UVSC scorer with 12 points. Matt Peterson and Pierre Thomas contributed nine points apiece.
NOTES: The Wolverines begin the regular season Monday in Iowa at the Guardians Classic against Colgate . . . seven of Thomas' nine points came in the final minute of play . . . UVSC shot only 39 percent from the field, while allowing Mesa State to shoot 53 percent — including 67 percent from beyond the arc . . . the Mavericks led at halftime 28-23.
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