Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats

OREM, Utah—The Utah Valley University men's basketball team will play its second of seven straight road games at in-state rival Southern Utah Saturday night at the Centrum Arena in Cedar City, Utah. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MT).

Southern Utah, picked to finish last in the Big Sky Conference this season, heads into Saturday night's game with a 0-2 record. The Thunderbirds opened the season with a pair of road losses last week, falling 98-68 at Kansas State and 76-63 at Miami (OH). Junior A.J. Hess led SUU with 16 points against Kansas State, while sophomore Trey Kennedy led the team with 17 points against Miami.

The Thunderbirds enter their third season in the Big Sky Conference and the third season under head coach Nick Robinson. The team returns eight players from a team that went 2-27 last season. The returnees include five players that started 15 or more games last season. SUU has seven newcomers to the team.

Saturday night's meeting between Utah Valley and Southern Utah will mark the fifth time that the two schools have met on the hardwood with UVU owning a 3-1 series lead. UVU has won three straight games over the Thunderbirds, including a 78-72 victory in Orem on Dec. 20, 2008 in their last meeting. The last time the two teams met in Cedar City was on Dec. 15, 2007 with UVU taking a 91-88 double overtime victory.

"Southern Utah will be a tough matchup for us and we will be excited to play," said Utah Valley head coach Dick Hunsaker. "They have played two road games against two very good opponents."

Utah Valley enters Saturday's contest with a 1-1 record. The Wolverines knocked off South Dakota 60-52 in its season opener on Nov. 14 in Orem. Utah Valley most recently dropped a 75-50 decision at Eastern Washington on Monday night. Zach Nelson led the Wolverines with 12 points, while Jaden Jackson added 10 in the loss. Nelson also tallied four rebounds and a block in the game. Jackson dished out a season-high seven assists. Mitch Bruneel, Brenden Evans and Marcel Davis each scored seven points.

Through its two games this year, Davis leads the Wolverines in scoring at 11.5 points per game. Bruneel is also averaging double figures at 10.5 points a contest and leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 boards per game.

Saturday's game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. (MT) and will be broadcast live on 960 AM The Zone.