2024-25 WAC Men's Basketball Release - Week 9

TIME FOR CONFERENCE PLAY THIS WEEKEND
The 2025 WAC conference season is set to begin this weekend with four matchups on Jan. 4 to christen the league slate. Abilene Christian travels to Utah Valley at 2 p.m. MT, Seattle U visits California Baptist at 5 p.m. PT, Southern Utah faces off with Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. MST and UT Arlington makes the drive to Tarleton State for a 7 p.m. CT tip.

GCU WINS FOUR STRAIGHT TO END 2024
In what was a banner calendar year for Grand Canyon men’s basketball, the Lopes officially closed out 2024 with four straight wins in nonconference play to improve to 10-4 on the season. GCU raced past San Diego 68-55 during the Intuit West Coast Hoops Showdown in Inglewood, California on Dec. 28 and downed Bryant 112-66 on Dec. 30 at Global Credit Union Arena to extend the winning streak at year’s end. Five different Lopes have averaged double figures in scoring during the active win streak, led by the 11.8 points per game from Lok Wur. Makaih Williams turned in one of the best offensive performances in the WAC this season, becoming the third player to score 30 or more points in a game in 2024-25 with a game-high 31 points in the victory over Bryant. The showing raised Williams’ average points per game to 11.3 over the course of the win surge.

UTAH VALLEY RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR WITH THREE STRAIGHT VICTORIES
Utah Valley capped 2024 on a hot streak of its own, winning three straight games before the calendar flipped to the new year. The Wolverines bested Idaho State (70-56 on Dec. 18) and Weber State (64-62 on Dec. 21) on the road before thwarting Bethesda (Calif.) 119-59 at home on Dec. 28. Carter Welling captured WAC Player and Newcomer of the Week for Utah Valley after averaging 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game in the wins over Idaho State and Weber State.

UTA’S WARE NAMED WAC PLAYER, NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UT Arlington graduate transfer forward Lance Ware claimed WAC Player of the Week for the first time on Dec. 31, earning WAC Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season after a standout performance for the Mavericks in an 80-72 win over Texas State on Dec. 29. Ware scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while shooting 80.0 percent from the floor to help lead UTA back from a seven-point halftime deficit.

DANIELS IN THE NATIONAL TOP FIVE IN SCORING
California Baptist guard Dominique Daniels Jr. checked in fourth in total points in the latest NCAA Division I statistics report on Jan. 1 after totaling 310 points over his first 14 starts. Daniels’ average of 22.1 points per game ranked sixth in the country, and his 105 field goals made were good for ninth among all players in DI men’s basketball.