OREM, Utah—Jaden Jackson scored a game-high 25 points and Andrew Bastien fell just short of a triple-double to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to a 97-52 exhibition win over Western State Monday night at the UCCU Center.
 
"I'm proud of the way our guys played," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "We have a lot of work to do but we've made a lot of progress and I'm proud of the effort our guys showed tonight."
 
After jumping out to a 19-11 lead at the 13:36 mark in the first half, Utah Valley used an 18-3 run to take a 37-14 lead with 9:02 to play in the first half. UVU continued to add to its lead as the team went into the break with a 49-28 advantage.
 
Utah Valley opened the second half on a 20-7 run to take its largest lead of the game, 69-35, at the 12:06 mark. UVU then out-scored Western State 28-17 the remainder of the second half to secure the win. 
 
Jackson connected on 9-of-15 shots from the field, including five shots from beyond the arc. The senior guard also went a perfect 2-for-2 at the free throw line.  Marcel Davis hit 5-of-10 shots on the night and went 4-for-5 at the charity stripe. Davis also dished out five assists and pulled down five boards.
 
Bastien just missed a triple-double with 10 rebounds, nine blocks and seven points. The junior forward knocked down 3-of-3 shots from the field registered a pair of steals in the win.
 
The Wolverines shot 53.8 percent from the field while holding the Mountaineers to a 23.9 percent clip. UVU knocked down 12 shots from beyond the arc.
 
Next up for the Wolverines is the official season opener at BYU on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be telecast live on BYUtv. A radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN 960 AM.