Utah
Isaac Hawkins’ late block secures Utah Valley win, 2nd consecutive WAC final appearance
LAS VEGAS — Despite controlling a 16-point lead, Utah Valley narrowly defeated UT Arlington 67-65 to advance to its second consecutive WAC final appearance Friday.
A late block from Isaac Hawkins on an open 3-point look by UT Arlington after a loose ball secured the win for Utah Valley. He finished with a team-high four blocks in the win.
Junior Trevan Leonhardt contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals in the win. In total, four Wolverines players finished in double figures and had a combined 13 steals and blocks.
Utah Valley will face the winner of Utah Tech and California Baptist on Saturday (10 p.m. MDT, ESPN2).
Braden Housely, who moved into a starting spot after Tyler Hendricks suffered a broken nose three weeks ago, had a quick 5 points to pace the Wolverines to an early lead.
Sherman Weatherspoon, who also found his way to the starting lineup after a 27-point outburst against Utah Tech, had 6 points in the first-half, with all coming from beyond the arc.
Though Utah Valley forced five turnovers in the first half, the Wolverines committed seven of their own, which turned into 9 points for UT Arlington on the offensive end. As such, 22 of UT Arlington’s 29 first-half points came from the bench, with Tyran Mason and Bahsil Laster combining for 19 of the 22 points.
Controlling a two-possession lead to open the second half, Leonhardt caught fire and sparked a personal 10-0 run to build up a game-high 16-point lead for the Wolverines off two 3-pointers in the span.
Shortly after the scoring spurt, UT Arlington went on a 10-0 run of its own in two minutes to trim Utah Valley’s lead to 5 points. With four minutes left to play, Laster converted an and-one to make it a one possession game.
Utah Valley then missed its next two free throws — a total of seven missed free buckets in the second half — to give UT Arlington a chance to tie, of which they managed to do.
With the game locked, Holcombe was fouled with 18 seconds left and sank both free throws to give the Wolverines a narrow lead.
But the Wolverines played stout defense after Hawkins blocked a shot in the paint, and a loose ball fell into the hands of Raysean Seamster who had an open look at a 3-pointer that was short.
Utah
Utah judge in Charlie Kirk killing case denies some efforts to limit media access – East Idaho News
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to limit public access to certain documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
The outcome sets the stage for an April hearing in which attorneys for Tyler Robinson will make their case to exclude TV cameras, microphones and photographers from the courtroom.
Judge Tony Graf has been weighing the public’s right to know details about the case against concerns by defense attorneys that the media attention could undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow and attorneys for news organizations have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. They have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Attorneys on Friday debated whether the defense’s written request to exclude cameras, which was classified by the court as private, should be made public.
Graf said the defense failed to make its case to keep the motion private but that he will continue “balancing all the factors” when deciding which portions of the upcoming hearing may be closed.
Staci Visser, an attorney for Robinson, told the judge that the defense is not arguing in the court of public opinion.
“There seems to be an idea that flooding the public sphere with information from this courtroom will somehow dispel conspiracy theories or shift public narratives. That, in and of itself, is concerning to the defense,” Visser said. “All we should be worried about is protecting what happens in this courtroom.”
Robinson’s defense team went on to say that the April hearing will involve discussions about prejudicial pretrial publicity — for example, evidence that has yet to be admitted, confessions, personal opinions about guilt or public statements that would otherwise be inadmissible in court.
“We don’t want to be in that position of bringing in front of the court all of this prejudicial information and having the press regurgitate it yet one more time, and reinflicting a wound that we’re seeking to avoid,” defense attorney Michael Burt said.
Christopher Ballard, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dismissed those arguments. He said careful questioning during jury selection and tools like expanding the jury pool can ensure a defendant gets a fair trial.
“So just saying that this a content tornado or there’s been a barrage of media coverage doesn’t necessarily mean that there is going to be prejudice to the defendant,” Ballard said.
Ballard noted that most of the evidence that will be discussed at the April 17 hearing is already public, so most of it should be open.
Coalitions of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, are fighting to preserve media access in the case.
Media access has been a focal point of several recent hearings, with the judge placing temporary restrictions on local TV stations for showing Robinson’s shackles in violation of a court order and filming close-up shots that might allow viewers to interpret what he was discussing with his attorneys.
The judge also has prevented full video recordings of Kirk’s shooting from being shown in court after defense attorneys argued the graphic footage would interfere with a fair trial. An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA who helped mobilize young people to vote for President Donald Trump.
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Utah
Utah’s Effort, Physicality Earns a Point Against Chicago | Utah Mammoth
Guenther scored his 31st of the season 5:47 into the second period to give Utah a 1-0 lead. He became the first player in franchise history to score 31 goals in a single season. Guenther has three goals in his last four games and five points in his last five games. With runway left in the regular season, the forward is five points away from setting a new career-high in points.
JJ Peterka scored his 22nd of the season with 6:15 left in regulation to tie the game, 2-2. Credit to Michael Carcone who stuck with the play, stole the puck, and fed Peterka the perfect pass.
“I think we just worked hard, outworked them on the first goal,” Peterka reflected. “(Carcone) did a hell of a job just backchecking, stripping the guy, so I think that was the main goal of getting in the game, just working hard for each other.”
“(Carcone) is a good player, he’s feisty, he gets into battles, he’s really good on the forecheck, he’s obviously really fast, and he’s a fun guy to play with,” McBain said on Carcone. “I thought he had a strong game tonight. He made a great play on the backcheck there. It’s a huge point for us, obviously, two would’ve been better, but we’re going to be proud of the effort and carry on.”
The Mammoth stepped up their physicality against the Blackhawks. Jack McBain tied his career-high in hits with 10. Carcone had eight hits against Chicago. Utah was able to elevate its physical game to pair with the skill and speed the Mammoth bring to each game. With 35 total hits, the Mammoth set a new franchise single-game record.
“It’s about getting the team involved and also myself involved, gotta get energy out there and get the guys going,” McBain shared. “Like I said, we’ve had some tough games against them and just trying to come out physical and change this one, but I thought everybody was physical tonight and hard on the puck so that was good.”
As the Mammoth were focused on getting back to their identity and re-establishing their game, tonight was a complete effort that showed Utah’s ability to bounce back.
“No game will never be perfect, but it was as close as it can be, in the pressure, in the pace, in the physicality and the bump, and we were in the battle,” Tourigny said. “We won more battles. We talked this morning off camera. We need to get back at getting inside, putting pucks at the net, bodies at the net, having speed off the rush, having speed off the forecheck, creating stuff on the forecheck. There’s no complaint on my side on that. We were really good at all of those.”
Utah will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night to wrap up a two-game homestand.
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Guenther has also lit the lamp in back-to-back meetings with the Blackhawks (also Mar. 9 at Chicago) and his five career goals against Chicago are tied for his third-most against any opponent (Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders: 6).
- With 16 go-ahead goals this season, Guenther trails only Cole Caufield (Montreal, 22) for the league lead.
- Utah is the only NHL team that has not required a shootout in 2025-26, and every other team has played at least three.
Upcoming Schedule
Utah
Utah coach Morgan Scalley gifts $2 million to Utes football program
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football coach Morgan Scalley is putting his money where his mouth is.
The newly-named head coach and longtime supporter of Utah athletics has stepped up the game by gifting the football program $2 million, the university announced Thursday.
“The University of Utah and particularly Utah athletics have been an extremely important and influential part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Scalley said in a statement. “My love for this place includes a vision of where we can go and what we can achieve, and it will require an increased effort from everyone who shares in that vision.
“Liz and I simply wanted to do something for this amazing place that shows our faith in and commitment to the future of this incredible university, and how excited we are for what’s to come.”
Scalley, who played safety at Utah and was an assistant coach for 18 years, was named head coach in December after longtime coach Kyle Whittingham stepped down and later took the Michigan head coaching position.
“I’m one of you,” Scalley declared at his introductory press conference in January. “All of you that are sitting in here that went through the same thing: I’m a fan. I’m a Ute. Have been forever, will be.
“When that time comes and I’m done, someone else will step up; I understand that. It’s not about me, it’s not about one person; it never will be. It is about these guys, it is about the players, and players win championships — teams win championships, not individuals. So while my name is going to be out there, and this is history, and I get it and I love it, it’s all about the guys.”
For Scalley, it was an opportunity to show his commitment to the university by donating to it in a significant way as he prepares to enter his first season as the program’s head coach.
“This extraordinary commitment by Morgan and Liz Scalley speaks to everything that makes them special and demonstrates their absolute love for the University of Utah,” athletics director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “Coach Scalley’s vision for the future of the Utah football program is not just a dream, but something that he actively works to bring to reality every day.”
Utah football will open up its spring camp on March 19.
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