Utah Valley’s run in the NIT was short.
The Wolverines fell behind by 16 at halftime, rallied to briefly take a second-half lead but then had a potential game-winning shot blocked twice on their final possession in a 79-78 loss to George Washington in first-round action Wednesday at the UCCU Center in Orem.
It was UVU’s first home loss in more than two years, dating back to March 2, 2024, and snapped a 27-game home winning streak.
It ends an otherwise successful season for the Wolverines, who went 25-9 overall, won the WAC regular-season championship and were one bucket away from advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” UVU head coach Todd Phillips said in a press release. “We fought back. We scored 49 points in the second half, got stops, got the crowd behind us, and made a push. It just comes down to making one more play.”
Despite trailing 45-29 with 16 minutes to play, UVU had two chances in the final minute to earn the win after forcing a turnover with 28.6 seconds to go, moments after Trevan Leonhardt hit a 3-pointer in transition to make it a one-point game.
Both times UVU had the opportunity to take the lead, though, leading scorer Jackson Holcombe was blocked.
After a timeout, the Wolverines got into their offense and Holcombe drove the lane, where he had his jumper blocked by 6-foot-8 forward Tyrone Marshall with 12 seconds to play. There was a scramble for the rebound, which ended up in a held ball and gave possession back to UVU.
Holcombe ended up with the ball in his hands again after the inbound, and he drove again, this time trying a left-handed jumper from the left side of the hoop. Marshall, who slipped on defense early in the play, recovered and again blocked Holcombe’s shot, as George Washington held on for the win.
“Coach put me in a great spot and my teammates got me a good look,” Holcombe said in a press release, of the final possession. “I think I passed up a good one and took a tougher shot. I should’ve shot the floater.”
It was the second straight heartbreaking finish for the Wolverines.
Four days earlier, UVU fell by two in the WAC championship game when Isaac Davis’ late dunk attempt clanked off the back side of the rim and Cal Baptist beat the Wolverines 63-61.
That finish appeared to be affecting UVU in the first half, as it allowed George Washington to shoot 60% before the break.
The Revolutionaries took their first double-digit lead of the game just over 11 minutes into the contest, then ended the first half on an 8-0 run to make it 45-29 at the break.
Trey Autry hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for George Washington, which hit its final six shots of the first half. That was Autry’s third 3 of the opening 20 minutes, and four Revolutionaries had seven or more points in the first half.
That 16-point deficit was the biggest UVU faced at halftime all year, but in the second half, the Wolverines made a game of it.
UVU went on an 8-0 run to make it 54-46 with 14:04 to play, though George Washington was able to keep it a multi-possession game over the next several minutes by hitting three 3-pointers, including two from Autry.
After Autry’s fifth 3-pointer made it 66-56 with just over seven minutes to play, the Wolverines struck with an 11-0 run to take their first lead since they were up 7-6.
Hayden Welling hit back-to-back layups, then Tyler Weaver hit a 3 to make it 66-63.
UVU forced a turnover, and on the ensuing possession, Davis hit a shot in the lane and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but grabbed the rebound and drove for the putback, giving UVU a 67-66 lead.
“I think we went into the locker room more upset with our effort and body language than the score,” Holcombe said. “That wasn’t us. We said we were going to go out swinging and compete until the final buzzer, and I think you saw that in the second half.”
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, that was their final lead of the night, even if George Washington never led by more than four after that moment.
Both teams largely traded scores the rest of the way, and Autry’s sixth — and final — 3-pointer of the game gave the Revolutionaries a 75-71 lead with 2:37 left, helping set up the final moments.
Holcombe ended up leading all scorers with 27 points — he shot 6 of 16 from the field, but 14 of 15 from the free-throw line — and he added seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
“Jackson was unbelievable,” Phillips said. “He’s a warrior. He does everything for us; scoring, rebounding, passing. He just fills up the stat sheet, and we needed every bit of what he gave us tonight.”
Welling and Weaver both scored 12 points for UVU, which lost despite owning a 23-7 edge in points off turnovers and 20-0 in fastbreak points.
The Revolutionaries made three more 3s than the Wolverines, at 11 to 8, and outshot UVU 49.1% to 44.8% from the field.
Autry ended up with 18 points, all on 3-pointers, and Marshall added three 3s of his own while finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
Rafael Castro led George Washington with 22 points — with 14 in the second half — and added 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
The loss ends UVU’s season, while George Washington moves on to the NIT second round, where it will face New Mexico after the Lobos blew out Sam Houston.
“These aren’t easy,” Phillips said. “But I’m proud of the fight, the resilience, and the way our guys competed until the very end.”