Utah Valley (7-5) vs. Montana Tech (6-5) GAME INFORMATION
Live Video: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Holton Hunsaker)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

---

OPENING TIP
After dropping a heart-breaking 80-79 decision at Hawaii on Sunday night, Utah Valley returns home to take on NAIA foe Montana Tech on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center where the team holds an impressive 5-1 mark this season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

In a hard-fought game that saw five different players foul out, Utah Valley fell to Hawaii, 70-69, at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday night in Honolulu. Zach Nelson knocked down a shot with 48 seconds remaining to give the Wolverines a one-point, 68-67 lead. The Rainbow Warriors responded with a three-point bucket just 10 seconds later to give UH a 70-68 advantage with 38 seconds remaining. Nelson was fouled on the shot with 24 seconds to go and hit 1-of-2 free throws to get to within one point, 70-69. UH missed a pair of free throws on the other end and UVU got possession with a chance to win with 15 seconds remaining. A three-point field goal fell short and Hawaii escaped with the win. Jake Toolson led the way for UVU with 18 points and six rebounds while Randolph was close behind with 14 points and four rebounds. Nelson was the final Wolverine to score in double digits with 10, while also grabbing five rebounds. The three also combined to shoot 20-of-22 from the foul line..

 All five of UVU's starters are averaging double figure scoring this season led by Akolda Manyang's 14.3 points per game. Jake Toolson ranks second on the team at 13.6 points, while Kenneth Ogbe is third at 12.7 points a contest. Conner Toolson averages 11.2 points and Brandon Randolph comes in at 10.8 points per game.

Utah Valley has played four teams that won their conference tournaments last season and made trips to the NCAA Tournament, including Kentucky (SEC Tournament), Duke (ACC Tournament), UC Davis (Big West Tournament), and North Dakota (Big Sky Tournament). The Wolverines went 2-2 with wins over UC Davis and North Dakota.

UVU opened the season with what might just be the toughest 24 hours ever played in college basketball history as the Wolverines took on No. 4/5 Kentucky and No. 1 Duke on back-to-back nights to open the season. The Wolverines dropped a 73-63 decision at Kentucky before falling 99-69 at Duke. UVU has since won seven of its last nine games.

UVU welcomed a record 7,574 fans through the UCCU Center doors on Nov. 29 against BYU in the program's first-ever sold out game. The 7,574 fans breaks the previous record of 7,124 set against Utah State on Dec. 18, 2010.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday night's game will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/live. The game will also be broadcast on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch handling the play-by-play duties. A live stream of the radio broadcast will be available through ESPN960sports.com and also through the ESPN 960 app, which is available for both iPhone and Android.

ABOUT MONTANA TECH
Montana Tech heads into Wednesday night's game with a 6-5 overall record. After dropping three straight, the Orediggers picked up a 120-71 win over Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana on Dec. 15. Montana Tech has played two exhibition games against the University of Utah and Division II Montana State Billings. The Orediggers dropped a 95-45 decision at Utah before falling 89-66 at MSU-Billings. Montana Tech is an NAIA member of the Frontier Conference. The team resides in Butte, Montana. Senior guard John Chapman leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. Senior guard Chris O'Neill also averages double figures at 11.3 points a contest. The team averages 81.8 points per game while limiting opponents to a 69.4 per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MONTANA TECH
Utah Valley and Montana Tech meet up on the basketball hardwood for the fifth time on Wednesday night. The two teams last met on Dec. 23, 2016 with the Wolverines taking a 72-47 victory. Utah Valley holds an all-time perfect 55-0 record against Non-Division I teams.

All-Time Results vs. Montana Tech
Dec. 20, 2003    Utah Valley def. Montana Tech, 79-43    Orem, Utah
Dec. 22, 2005    Utah Valley def. Montana Tech, 79-54    Orem, Utah
Feb. 13, 2012    Utah Valley def. Montana Tech, 70-60    Orem, Utah
Dec. 23, 2016    Utah Valley def. Montana Tech, 72-47    Orem, Utah

FINAL SHOT WON'T FALL AS UVU TAKES 80-79 LOSS AT HAWAII
In a hard-fought game that saw five different players foul out, the Utah Valley University men's basketball team fell to Hawaii, 70-69, at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday night.
 
Utah Valley dropped to 7-5 on the season with the loss while Hawaii pushed its record to 7-2. In addition to the five players that fouled out, four more players finished the night with four fouls apiece. Despite suffering the loss, the Wolverines won the rebounding battle 34-30, and scored more bench points and points in the paint than the Rainbow Warriors.  

Facing a six-point deficit early on in the second half, UVU went on a 9-2 run to take its first advantage of the half. Manyang fouled out shortly after, and several other Wolverines faced foul trouble as Hawaii used several trips to the charity stripe to hold onto a slim lead.
 
Back-to-back buckets from Brandon Randolph sparked a stretch for Utah Valley that saw it take a four-point lead, its largest of the half. The Rainbow Warriors then took a four-point advantage of their own on an eight-point run, but Ben Nakwaasah hit a big three to keep the Wolverines close.
 
Hawaii proceeded to go up by five, but UVU chipped away and tied the game before the Rainbow Warriors went back up by three. Utah Valley scored the next four and with 48 seconds remaining, Zach Nelson hit a shot in the paint to put the Wolverines up by one.
 
Hawaii drained a three on its next possession to go up two, and Nelson connected on one of two free-throws on the other end to make the score 70-69. Utah Valley had one final chance to win the game but was unable to find the basket.
 
Jake Toolson led the way for UVU with 18 points and six rebounds while Randolph was close behind with 14 points and four rebounds. Nelson was the final Wolverine to score in double digits with 10, while also grabbing five rebounds. The three also combined to shoot 20-of-22 from the foul line.

GAME AT HAWAII FEATURED THREE OF THE OLDEST PLAYERS IN NCAA DIVISION I
Utah Valley has two of the oldest players in NCAA Division I basketball. Utah Valley graduate student Zach Nelson is the third-oldest player in the nation at 25 years, 143 days, while Isaac Neilson ranks fourth on the NCAA Division I senior citizens list at 24 years, 352 days old. Sam Houston State's Josh Boutte is the oldest player in the nation at 25 years, 307 days. Hawaii's Gibson Johnson ranks second at 25 years, 273 days. Both Nelson and Neilson served LDS Church missions and had redshirt seasons.

Oldest Players in NCAA Division I Basketball
1.    Josh Boutte, Sam Houston State    25 years, 307 days
2.    Gibson Johnson, Hawaii    25 years, 273 days
3.    Zach Nelson, UVU    25 years, 143 days
4.    Isaac Neilson, UVU    24 years, 352 days
5.     Kyle Brown, Cornell    24 years, 345 days
6.    Ron Patterson, IUPUI    24 years, 296 days

NUMEROUS RECORDS FALL IN WIN OVER BETHESDA
A numbers of records were broken in Utah Valley's 106-44 win over Bethesda on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Every player that saw minutes for UVU scored, including Mckay Johnson who notched the first points of his Wolverine career. Utah Valley set a new school record for made field goals in a game with 43, and set a record for most points scored in a home game with 106. The 106 points are also a UCCU Center record, topping the previous high of 103. The 62-point victory was the third largest in school history. UVU's 35 assists are also a school record over the previous record of 29.

UVU ONE OF JUST TWO TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE ALL FIVE STARTERS AVERAGE DOUBLE DIGIT SCORING
Utah Valley is one of just two teams in the nation to have all five of its starters averaging double figure scoring this season. Akolda Manyang leads the way at 14.3 points a game, followed by Jake Toolson at 13.6 points, Kenneth Ogbe at 12.7 points, Conner Toolson at 11.2 points, and Brandon Randolph at 10.8 points a contest. The five starters average a combined 62.6 points per game. As a team, UVU averages 80.2 points per game. The five starters are responsible for 78 percent of the team's points.

THREE-POINT STREAKING
Utah Valley has now hit a three-point field goal in 110 straight games. The last time UVU played in a game without hitting a shot from beyond the arc was on Feb. 27, 2014 against New Mexico State.

HOME SWEET UCCU CENTER
Utah Valley holds an all-time 156-46 (77.2 percent) record in 12 seasons at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines are averaging 12.5 wins a season at the UCCU Center. UVU finished play at home last season with an 8-5 record. UVU is 5-1 at home this season. UVU's game against BYU on Nov. 29 was the team's first-ever sellout since joining the Division I ranks in 2003. 7,574 fans attended the game on Wednesday night, breaking the previous attendance record of 7,124 set against Utah State on Dec. 18, 2010.