SALT LAKE CITY (Interstat) — Utah Valley used a dominant first half to secure a 68-53 win over UC Santa Barbara in a nonconference men’s basketball game Saturday at the Salt Lake Slam. The Wolverines built a 37-15 halftime lead and withstood a stronger second half from the Gauchos.

Trevan Leonhardt led Utah Valley with 10 assists, nine rebounds and eight points, narrowly missing a triple-double. Hayden Welling scored a game-high 18 points. Utah Valley shot 8 for 22 from three-point range and scored 16 points off 18 UC Santa Barbara turnovers.

The Gauchos, who shot just 35.8% from the floor, were led by Zion Sensley’s 10 rebounds and eight points. Both teams are now 8-3 this season. An announced crowd of 1,987 attended the game.