VINEYARD, Utah (Interstat) — Tyler Hendricks scored 22 points and Utah Valley used a dominant second-half surge to pull away from Weber State for a 90-74 victory in a nonconference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at UCCU Center.

The Wolverines improved to 9-3, while the Wildcats fell to 5-6.

Weber State guard Edwin Suarez, a 6-foot-6 junior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, kept his team competitive for much of the contest, scoring a game-high 26 points. But Utah Valley’s balanced and efficient offense, coupled with a disruptive defensive effort, proved too much over the final 20 minutes.

The game’s decisive stretch came early in the second half. Leading 40-32 at halftime, Utah Valley opened the period with a 12-4 run, fueled by two 3-pointers from Hendricks and another from Noah Taitz, to build a 52-36 advantage with 17:15 remaining. The Wildcats never recovered, unable to cut the deficit to single digits the rest of the way.

Utah Valley’s offensive execution was a key factor, as the Wolverines shot 50% from the floor for the game and dished out 21 assists against only 11 turnovers. Hendricks, a 6-6 guard from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, filled the stat sheet beyond his scoring, adding three assists and three blocked shots in 35 minutes.

He was one of four Wolverines to score in double figures. Forward Jackson Holcombe, a 6-7 sophomore from Charleston, South Carolina, provided 18 points, five assists and two blocks. Center Isaac Hawkins, a 6-10 freshman from Fort Mill, South Carolina, added 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and forward Hayden Welling contributed 10 points, four assists and three blocks.

For Weber State, Suarez was the primary offensive threat, but received limited consistent support. Point guard Tijan Saine, a 5-10 sophomore from Everett, Washington, finished with 13 points and five assists. Forward Nigel Burris, a 6-7 junior from San Francisco, came off the bench to score 12 points.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring 10 lead changes. Suarez was aggressive from the outset, scoring 16 points before halftime on an array of drives and putbacks. Weber State led 28-27 after a Suarez layup with 6:50 left in the half, but Utah Valley closed the period on a 13-4 spurt. Holcombe capped the run with a driving layup just before the buzzer to give the Wolverines their eight-point halftime cushion.

That momentum carried into the second half, where Utah Valley’s defensive intensity increased. The Wolverines blocked seven shots after halftime and forced nine Weber State turnovers, converting them into easy transition opportunities. A highlight-reel alley-oop from Trevan Leonhardt to Hawkins midway through the half pushed the lead to 68-54 and effectively sealed the outcome.

Leonhardt, a 6-4 guard from Kaysville, Utah, directed the offense with a game-high six assists. Taitz finished with 13 points for Utah Valley, while Jace Whiting had nine points for Weber State.

The announced attendance was 1,457.

Weber State will look to rebound at home against Utah Tech on Saturday. Utah Valley continues its homestand Saturday against Bethesda.

The most important part of the game was Utah Valley’s immediate and explosive start to the second half. Holding a manageable eight-point lead, the Wolverines opened the period with three 3-pointers in the first three minutes, part of a 12-4 run that stretched their lead to 16 points. This burst established immediate control, demoralized Weber State’s defense, and set the tone for a half in which Utah Valley would outscore the Wildcats 50-42. The run transformed a competitive game into a comfortable victory, leveraging the halftime momentum into an insurmountable advantage.