Utah Valley loses heartbreaker in NIT first round as George Washington ends Wolverines’ season

Utah Valley guard Jackson Holcombe, center, tries to drive against George Washington's Bubu Benjamin during an NIT first-round game at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. | Courtesy Utah Valley Athletics 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.