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OREM, Utah—The Utah Valley University men's basketball team will play its third of seven straight road games at Idaho State Wednesday night at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MT).
 
Idaho State, picked to finish 10^th in the Big Sky Conference this season, heads into Wednesday night's game with a 0-3 record. All three of the Bengals losses have come at tough road venues, including New Mexico, Denver and Washington State. The Bengals opened the season with a 79-55 setback at New Mexico, followed by a 54-38 loss at Denver. Last week, ISU dropped an 80-68 decision at Washington State.
 
The Bengals enter their third season under head coach Bill Evans. The team returns four players who saw time on the court during the 2013-14 season, including returning starters Chris Hansen and Jeffrey Solarin. Hansen averaged 16.6 points per game last year, while Solarin averaged 10.4 points and 8.5 rebounds. Hansen, a senior forward, has picked up right where he left off last season as he is already averaging 20 points per game. He has already knocked down nine three-point field goals this year and ranks third all-time at Idaho State for threes made and attempted.
 
Wednesday night's meeting between Utah Valley and Idaho State will mark the sixth time that the two schools have met on the hardwood with ISU owning a 4-1 series lead. Wednesday will mark the first meeting since the 2006-07 season when Idaho State took a 76-62 victory in Pocatello. Utah Valley's lone win in the series came on Jan. 25, 2005 when the Wolverines took a 52-45 win in Orem.
 
"Idaho State is going to be another tough road game for us," said Utah Valley head coach Dick Hunsaker. "We're going to have to be ready for their matchup zone. Its something we don't see on a daily basis. Chris Hansen is one of the best scorers in the West and he will be a handful for us. They also have one of the best rebounders in the Rocky Mountains in Jeffrey Solarin. We've really got our hands full with them personnel wise. Coach Bill Evans always has his team well prepared."

Utah Valley enters Wednesday's contest with a 2-1 record. The Wolverines downed in-state rival Southern Utah 85-75 Saturday night in Cedar City. Senior forward Mitch Bruneel scored a career-high 27 points and junior forward Zach Nelson added a career-high 24 points in the win over SUU. Junior guard Marcel Davis also reached double digit scoring with 10 points to go along with six assists. Senior forward Chad Ross tallied a career high in points with seven. Utah Valley shot an impressive 56.4 percent from the field while hitting seven shots from long range against the Thunderbirds.
 
Through three games this season, Bruneel leads the Wolverines in scoring at 16.0 points per contest. Nelson and Davis are also averaging double digit scoring at 12.7 points and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Bruneel and Nelson are tied for the team lead in rebounding, pulling down 6.7 boards per game.

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