Trey Woodbury had a season-high 24 points and contributed a 3-pointer to a first-half run that gave Utah Valley an early double-digit lead, helping the Wolverines record a shocking 77-72 nonconference victory over Oregon on Tuesday night in Eugene, Ore.
Tim Ceaser and Justin Harmon chipped in with 13 points apiece for Utah Valley (9-4), a Western Athletic Conference team that has never made it to the NCAA Tournament, including last year when the Wolverines were a 20-win club.
Will Richardson led all scorers with 26 points for the Ducks (7-6), who had a three-game winning streak come to an end.
Ceaser and Woodbury connected from long range and Harmon interspersed a pair of interior hoops when the Wolverines broke from an 18-all tie with a 10-0 run to pull away.
The margin was 17 entering halftime, and Utah Valley retained a 56-40 advantage after a Tahj Small layup with 11:47 left in the game before Oregon rallied.
The Ducks got within 68-66 on two Quincy Guerrier free throws with 1:22 remaining. But after a timeout, Utah Valley got the ball to Woodbury, who hit the game’s biggest basket to double the advantage with 1:04 to go.
With Oregon forced to foul after missing its next two shots, Woodbury made three free throws and Harmon and Blaze Nield sank two apiece to give the Wolverines a sixth straight win.
Woodbury drilled three of his four 3-point attempts as the visitors made 8 of 20 and outscored the Ducks 24-9 from beyond the arc. Oregon made just three of its 19 3-point tries.
Utah Valley outshot the Ducks 42.2 percent to 35.3 percent overall and managed to overcome a 53-36 deficit on the boards.
Woodbury also found time for team highs in rebounds (nine), assists (six) and steals (three).
Meanwhile, Richardson padded his stats with seven rebounds and team highs in assists (four) and steals (three).
N’Faly Dante grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to complement 17 points for Oregon, while Guerrier added 14 points.
–Field Level Media