Utah Valley (8-5) at Sam Houston State (6-6) GAME INFORMATION
Live Video: None
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Holton Hunsaker)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: Sam Houston State StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
After dropping a heart-breaking 80-79 decision at Hawaii on Sunday night, Utah Valley rebounded with an 84-56 win at home over Montana Tech on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines now head back out on the road as the team travels to Texas for a first-ever matchup with Southland Conference foe Sam Houston State. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. (MST).

Led by a suffocating defensive effort in the second half and multiple offensive runs throughout the game, Utah Valley defeated Montana Tech, 84-56, on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center. As a team, UVU shot 56.4 percent from the field while holding Montana Tech to just 36.2 percent on the night. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle 47-22 and assisted on 19 of 31 made baskets. Kenneth Ogbe led UVU in the scoring column with 17 points on a 7-of-11 clip from the field. Akolda Manyang and Jake Toolson finished the game with 12 and 11 points apiece, while Randolph and Conner Toolson ended up with 10 and 11, respectively. Neilson and Manyang both led UVU in rebounding with seven, and Jake Toolson and Randolph each dished out four assists.

All five of UVU's starters are averaging double figure scoring this season led by Akolda Manyang's 14.1 points per game. Jake Toolson ranks second on the team at 13.5 points, while Kenneth Ogbe is third at 13.1 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 eight of its last 11 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
Friday's game will only be available 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 SAM HOUSTON STATE
A winning non-conference record is on the line for Sam Houston State as the team enters Friday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 6-6 record. The game against the Wolverines marks the Bearkats' final non-conference game of the season as the squad opens Southland Conference play on Dec. 30 at Abilene Christian. Sam Houston State most recently dropped an 80-58 decision at LSU on Tuesday. Abrian Edwards had a breakout performance against LSU for the Bearkats on Tuesday, scoring 22 points with eight rebounds in his second start of the season. Christopher Galbreath Jr. recorded his fourth double-double of the season that included a career-high 14 rebounds. Galbreath Jr. has scored in double figures in each of his last 11 games. Sam Houston State is averaging 66.4 points a game while limiting opponents to a 64.1 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SAM HOUSTON STATE
Utah Valley and Sam Houston State meet up on the basketball hardwood for the first time on Friday. Utah Valley holds an all-time 2-4 record against teams from the Southland Conference.

UTAH VALLEY BOUNCES BACK WITH 84-56 WIN OVER MONTANA TECH
Led by a suffocating defensive effort in the second half and multiple offensive runs throughout the game, Utah Valley defeated Montana Tech, 84-56, on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center.

Utah Valley moved to 8-5 overall on the season with the win and improved its home record to 6-1. As a team, UVU shot 56.4 percent from the field while holding Montana Tech to just 36.2 percent on the night. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle 47-22 and assisted on 19 of 31 made baskets.
 
A 10-3 run got UVU out to an early lead as the Wolverines earned most of their points in the paint and from trips to the charity stripe. Akolda Manyang, Kenneth Ogbe and Jake Toolson combined to score the first 20 points of the game for Utah Valley before Conner Toolson broke into the scoring column.
 
Back-to-back threes from Ogbe and Ben Nakwaasah capped a 9-2 run that gave the Wolverines their first double-digit lead of the game. In the closing minutes of the first half, Utah Valley completed a 17-2 stretch that aided them in taking a 47-25 lead into halftime.
 
Ogbe and Manyang led the Wolverines in the half with 13 and 11 points apiece, and Manyang was UVU's leading rebounder with six. Ogbe, Jake Toolson and Brandon Randolph each dished out three assists in the opening half of play, while Conner Toolson grabbed two steals on the defensive end.
 
After the Diggers opened the second half with a quick bucket, Utah Valley scored the next six to grow its lead to 26. Overall, the Wolverines' stretch to open the second half turned into a 14-2 run.
 
Utah Valley came out of the locker room defensive minded as it allowed just eight points through the first ten minutes of the second half. Throughout that stretch, Randolph and Jake Toolson combined for three steals and Isaac Neilson added a block.
 
The lead for the Wolverines grew to as much as 37, and all the reserves saw minutes for UVU as it cruised to the 28-point victory.
 
Ogbe led Utah Valley in the scoring column with 17 for the night on a 7-of-11 clip from the field. Manyang and Jake Toolson finished the game with 12 and 11 points apiece, while Randolph and Conner Toolson ended up with 10 and 11, respectively. Neilson and Manyang both led UVU in rebounding with seven, and Jake Toolson and Randolph each dished out four assists.

GAME AT SAM HOUSTON STATE TO FEATURE THREE OF THE OLDEST PLAYERS IN NCAA
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. As of the start of the season on Nov. 10, Nelson was ranked the third-oldest player at 25 years, 143 days, while Isaac Neilson ranked 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 as he opened the season at 25 years, 307 days.

Oldest Players in NCAA Division I Basketball (As of opening day on Nov. 10, 2017)
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 14.1 points a game, followed by Jake Toolson at 13.5 points, Kenneth Ogbe at 13.1 points, Conner Toolson at 11.2 points, and Brandon Randolph at 10.8 points a contest. The five starters average a combined 62.7 points per game. As a team, UVU averages 80.5 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 111 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.