Utah Valley’s Keith Thompson scored on a putback with five seconds left Thursday to lift the Wolverines to an ugly 42-40 win over Hampton in the first game of the Dr Pepper Classic at McKenzie Arena.
Poor shooting was the story of the game. Hampton (4-9) finished 1-of-19 from 3-point range and 9-of-19 from the free-throw line. The Wolverines (7-8) were little better, hitting 4 of 22 3s and 8 of 15 free throws.
Neither team shot 30 percent from the field.
“It was a back and forth battle,” Wolverines coach Dick Hunsaker said. “It certainly wasn’t aesthetically pretty, we understand that, but you’ve got to love a game 42-40.”
Thompson’s stick-back, his only basket, was a fitting way for the Wolverines to prevail since it was Utah Valley’s performance on the offensive glass that proved the difference.