OREM, Utah – Behind a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double from Akolda Manyang in his Wolverine debut, the Utah Valley University men's basketball team earned an 81-70 win in an exhibition game against Dixie State on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center.
 
The victory marked UVU's final tune-up before the regular-season opener on the road against No. 4/5  Kentucky and consensus No. 1 Duke.
 
"I was really happy with the game. Dixie State is a really good team and a top-five, Division II team every year," said UVU head coach Mark Pope. "There were a lot of teams we could have played for this exhibition game, and these guys gave us the best game we would have gotten from anybody. They made us really compete and we needed it, so it was a great night for us."
 
With both teams struggling to get into an early rhythm offensively, Jonas Tahvanainen completed a four-point play and Ben Nakwaasah earned a three-point play to get things going for UVU.
 
Despite suffering some early foul trouble of its own, Utah Valley was able to get to the foul line, hitting 11-of-14 from the stripe in the first half, including a 4-4 mark from Hayden Schenck.
 
With just under three minutes to play and the Wolverines holding a 32-31 lead, Dixie State used a 12-2 run to take a 44-33 lead into halftime. Kyler Nielson led DSU in the first half with 11 points while Conner Toolson led the first-half attack for UVU with seven points and an assist.
 
Facing a double-digit deficit coming out of the half, Utah Valley stepped up its defensive effort and used a steal and block from Manyang to spark an 11-1 run and pull within one point. A basket from Isaac Neilson on the next possession gave UVU a one-point lead, its first since the 5:17 mark in the first half.
 
After a three-pointer from Dixie State gave the Trailblazers a one-point lead, The Wolverines reeled off a 9-0 run capped by a three from Nakwaasah to give UVU a 64-56 lead. Two electric dunks from Manyang in a one-minute span then pushed the lead to double digits with 5:14 to go. The Utah Valley lead would grow to as much as 15.
 
In addition to his double-double, Manyang recorded three blocks and a steal on the defensive end of the floor. Toolson and Randolph each pitched in 14 points apiece on the night, and Nakwaasah contributed 11 points in his UVU debut.
 
The Wolverines will now prepare to travel to Lexington for the season opener against Kentucky at historic Rupp Arena. The Wildcats were recently ranked fourth in the Coaches Poll and fifth in the AP Top-25. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. MT on Friday, Nov. 10. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and can be heard live on ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch handling the play-by-play duties.
 
The trip to Kentucky is the first game of what is being tabbed as the toughest 24 hours in college basketball history. The night following the matchup with UK, Utah Valley will travel to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.