OREM, Utah—Marcel Davis scored a game-high 22 points and Konner Frey added 15 to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team in a 78-66 setback to New Mexico State in the team's conference opener Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
 
Utah Valley falls to 6-10 overall on the season and 0-1 in WAC play. With the win, New Mexico State improves to 9-7 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
 
"My guys played hard," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "We had some mental lapses and made some poor decisions on defense in some instances, but I'm proud of my guys. We've just got to find a way to dig a little bit deeper. I'm really happy of their effort and we're just going to play a little bit better."
 
The first half produced five ties and three lead changes. Tied 28-28 with 4:21 to play in the first period, Utah Valley used an 11-4 run to head into the break with a 39-32 advantage. The Wolverines extended their lead to a 46-34 advantage with 17:45 to play but the Aggies countered with a 13-1 run to take a 50-47 lead with 11:57 remaining. NM State then used a 14-4 run over the final four minutes to secure the win.
 
Davis scored his 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-7 clip from long range. The senior guard also matched a career high with seven rebounds. He also dished out a team-high five assists and registered a steal.
 
Frey knocked down 6-of-11 shots from the floor, including one shot from beyond the arc for his 15 points. Jaden Jackson was also in double digits with 14 points, connecting on 5-of-14 shots on the night. Jackson also tallied a team-high eight rebounds and recorded three assists.
 
As a team, Utah Valley connected on 41.7 percent of its shots from the field compared to NM State's 41.2 percent clip. The Wolverines hit seven threes on the night while limiting the Aggies to a 2-of-19 performance from long range. New Mexico State out-rebounded the Wolverines 46-37.
 
Utah Valley will continue WAC play at home against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) on Saturday at 7 p.m.