Feb. 19, 2008

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - In its final road game of the season, Utah Valley (13-14) held on for a 69-62 victory over North Carolina Central University (3-23).

"I knew NC Central would come back and play with energy," UV head coach Dick Hunsaker said. "Coach (Henry) Dickerson has done a tremendous job keeping his team enthusiastic throughout the season. I thought we played well at the end of a difficult road trip. It was good to see Jordan Brady and Richard Troyer get a win in their final road game."

The Wolverines were led by Ryan Toolson who scored 31 points while hitting on all 15 of his foul shots. Brady added a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds while Troyer scored 12 for the Wolverines. Charles Futrell led NC Central with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

After Utah Valley jumped to an early 12-6 lead on a Richard Troyer jumper, NC Central responded with a 7-1 run to tie the game at 13-13 with 10:30 remaining.

The Wolverines exploded with a 13-0 run that saw Troyer and Toolson hit three-pointers and Toolson hit three foul shots. UV's lead extended to 26-13 with the run and was snapped by four consecutive Eagles points from Futrell.

Utah Valley scored the final five points of the half on a Toolson fast-break lay up and a Jabir Jinna three-pointer to take a 31-17 lead to the break.

Toolson led all scorers with 13 points at the break on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. The Wolverines held NCCU to just 28 percent shooting from the field while hitting on 38.5 percent of their shots.

The Eagles cut UV's halftime advantage in half in the first 2:15 of the second half on a 7-0 run. Futrell got loose for a few pair of jumpers in the post. The Wolverines responded with its own run, an 8-0 spurt capped by a Troyer three. The Wolverines built a game-high, 18-point lead at 44-26 on a pair of Toolson foul shots with 13:36 remaining in the game.

With Utah Valley ahead 50-34, NCCU's Philip Branch caught fire, leading the Eagles on a 13-2 run, cutting the Wolverines lead to three at 52-49 with 6:04. Branch hit three three-pointers in a two-minute stretch to lead the run. Troyer hit a three-pointer to break the run.

The Wolverines got key defensive stops and hit foul shots down the stretch to extend the lead and hold on for the victory.

With its road season concluded, Utah Valley will finish with a pair at home. The Wolverines will host New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Saturday at 2 p.m.