Feb. 6, 2007

Box Score

Orem, Utah - After falling behind by 12 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, Utah Valley State rallied behind a strong effort from the bench players to beat UC Davis by 29 points, 88-59.

"UC Davis knocked us straight on our heels in the early going," UV head coach Dick Hunsaker. "We came out sluggish and they took it to us early. They came out with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and had their way with us for most of the first half."

The Wolverines (16-7) got over half of their points from players off the bench with Joe Walker leading the way with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting in 20 minutes. Walker also led the Wolverines with eight rebounds, including four offensive boards.

"A nice thing we have this year is depth," Hunsaker said. "Joe Walker was exceptional in his play and his presence inside. That was a terrific lift for us."

Chris Bailey led the starters with 13 points and five assists.

"I think the game ball should go to Chris Bailey," Hunsaker said. "His enthusiasm and energy carried us and got us in the game."

Ryan Toolson added 20 points and David Heck also scored 10.

It was UC Davis (4-18) jumping out to an early lead. With the Wolverines ahead, 4-2 in the early moments of the game, the Aggies scored nine unanswered points to open an 11-4 lead. The Davis run was capped by a Bussey Ellis jumper. A pair of Ryan Toolson free throws courtesy of a technical foul ended the Aggies run.

UC Davis kept the pressure on and opened a double-digit lead of 25-15 with 10:40 remaining in the half.

The Wolverines then picked up the defensive pressure which yielded transition baskets and a big Utah Valley run. UV finished the half on a 17-9 run to take a 41-34 lead at the break. Bailey and Walker each had a big first half. Walker led the way with 13 points for the Wolverines off the bench on 6-for-7 shooting and Bailey added 11 points and two assists.

Utah Valley finished the half scoring the final nine points. The run carried over into the second half. The Aggies 34-32 lead with 3:02 remaining in the first half turned into a 52-36 Wolverine lead three minutes into the second half courtesy of an 18-4 run.

The two teams then played evenly over the next 10 minutes before the Wolverines built a 20-point advantage, going ahead 74-54 on a Peter Brown free throw with 6:44 remaining in the game.

Utah Valley State looks to extend its winning streak to four games as the Wolverines head to Edinberg, Texas to take on Texas Pan American Saturday at 1 p.m. (MT)