#4 Utah Valley (15-15) vs. #1 CSU Bakersfield (21-8) GAME INFORMATION
WAC Tournament Central: WACsports.com
Video Stream: ESPN 3 (Mychal Clanton / Joan Bonvicini)
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch / Clint Burgi)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: WAC StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley defeated No. 5 Seattle U 65-53 on Thursday to advance to Friday's WAC Tournament semifinal matchup against top-seeded CSU Bakersfield. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN3.

The Wolverines hold a 15-15 overall record and placed fifth in the WAC with a 6-8 league mark. CSU Bakersfield is 21-8 overall on the season and won the WAC's regular season title with a 12-2 league mark. As the top seed at the tournament, CSUB received a first-round bye as Friday's game against UVU will mark the team's first game of the tournament.

Jordan Poydras scored a team-high 15 points and Ivory Young added 11 to lead Utah Valley to a 65-53 quarterfinal win over Seattle U on Thursday. It marks UVU's second WAC Tournament win in team history. UVU now holds a 2-3 all-time WAC Tournament record. UVU's only other tournament win was an 83-63 win over UTRGV in the quarterfinals of the 2014 tournament. UVU then went on to drop a 74-69 decision to Idaho in the semifinals in 2014.
 
Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points a contest. Neilson leads the team on the boards, pulling down 8.7 rebounds a game. Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.2 helpers a game.

Neilson has been named to the WAC's All-Defensive team by the WAC's eight head coaches. Neilson, from Mission Viejo, Calif., has enjoyed the most successful season of his career. He ranks third in the WAC on the boards, pulling down 8.7 rebounds a game. He also ranks second in the WAC with a 57.4 percent clip from the field. He ranks second in the WAC in blocks, averaging 1.7 a game. Neilson has 50 blocks this season which is just six shy of tying the UVU all-time single season blocks record.  

Utah Valley is the 10th fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com at 73.6 possessions per 40 minutes. Savannah State (81.1) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by The Citadel (79.8) and Marshall (78.0) in third. The Wolverines are in 10th just ahead of Wyoming in 11th, Auburn 12th and St. Johns in 13th.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday's game against CSU Bakersfield will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Mychal Clanton and Joan Bonvocini on the call. The game will also be broadcast on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Clint Burgi handling the play-by-play and color 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 CSU BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield heads into Friday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 21-8 overall record. The 'Runners won their first-ever regular season WAC title after finishing league play with a 12-2 record. CSUB's lone setbacks in WAC play this season were a 63-58 loss at New Mexico State on Jan. 14 and a 58-52 loss to Grand Canyon in the team's regular season finale on March 4. CSUB senior forward Jaylin Airington leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Airington recently received first team All-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors. Three other Roadrunners average double figures, including Damiyne Durham (13.2), Dedrick Basile (11.7) and Matt Smith (10.8). Basile earned All-WAC second team honors, while Smith received All-Defensive team honors. In all, CSUB earned nine WAC postseason honors. CSUB head coach Rod Barnes earned the WAC's Don Haskins Coach of the Year honors. As a team, CSU Bakersfield averaged 71.2 points per game, while limiting opponents to a WAC-best 62.2 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSUB meet on the basketball hardwood for the 18th time on Friday night. CSUB holds an all-time 11-6 advantage over the Wolverines. CSU Bakersfield has won five straight games over UVU, including a 80-71 win over the Wolverines on Feb. 16 in Orem. UVU's last win over CSUB was a 74-69 victory on March 7, 2015 in Orem. Two of the last four games in the series have been decided by four or less points. The game marks the second time that the two teams have met at the WAC Tournament. CSUB took a 55-40 win over the Wolverines in the quarterfinals of the 2015 WAC Tournament.

Last Five Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads, 11-6)
Feb. 16, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 80-71    Orem
Jan. 21, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 68-65    Bakersfield
Feb. 13, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 91-69    Bakersfield
Jan. 30, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 78-74    Orem
March 12, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 55-40    Las Vegas

LAST MEETING VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD (February 16, 2017)
Jordan Poydras scored a team-high 15 points and Conner Toolson helped with 14 to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team in a 80-71 setback to WAC leader CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 16 at the UCCU Center.

CSU Bakersfield jumped out to an 11-3 lead six minutes into the game. UVU scored its first field goal of the game at the 13-minute mark to spark a 10-5 run to get to within three points, 16-13, with 10:30 remaining in the half. The 'Runners then out-scored the Wolverines 22-13 over the final 10 minutes to take a 38-26 lead into the break.
 
The Roadrunners held on to an 11-point lead, 56-45, midway through the second half. Back-to-back Toolson three-pointers sparked a 9-2 UVU run to cut the CSUB advantage to just four points, 58-54, with 7:33 remaining. The 'Runners responded with a 12-0 run to extend their lead to 14 points, 70-54, with 3:10 to play. CSUB held on to the lead over the final minutes to secure the victory.
 
Poydras scored his 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including a pair of shots from long range. He also dished out three assists with two rebounds and a pair of steals in 31 minutes of play.  Toolson connected on 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc for his 14 points. Brandon Randolph was also in double figures with 10 points, knocking down 4-of-10 shots with a pair of threes. The junior guard also pulled down six rebounds, dished out five assists and registered a steal.
 
As a team, Utah Valley shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field with a 38.7 clip (12-of-31) from three-point range. CSUB hit 55.6 percent (30-of-54) from the floor, including 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from long range.
 
Matt Smith led three other CSU Bakersfield players with 18 points. Damiyne Durham scored 16, Jaylin Airington helped with 14 and Shon Briggs scored 13.

UVU'S WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Utah Valley makes its fourth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. The Wolverines now hold an all-time 2-3 record at the tournament. Prior to its 65-53 win over Seattle U on Thursday, UVU's lone win at the tournament was a 83-63 win over UTRGV in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament. The Wolverines earned the No. 1 seed in their first-ever appearance at the tournament in 2014. 2017 marks the second-straight year that UVU has entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Friday's semifinal matchup against CSU Bakersfield marks the second time that the Wolveirnes have appeared in a WAC Tournament semifinal game.

All-Time Results at WAC Tournament (2-3)
March 13, 2014    #1 Utah Valley 83, #8 UTRGV 63    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 14, 2014    #5 Idaho 74, #1 Utah Valley 69    Semifinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 12, 2015    #4 Bakersfield 55, #5 Utah Valley 40    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 10, 2016    #5 UMKC 80, #4 Utah Valley 78    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 09, 2017    #4 Utah Valley 65, #5 Seattle U 53    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada

NEILSON NAMED TO WAC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Junior forward Isaac Neilson has been named to the WAC All-Defensive team in a vote by the WAC's eight head coaches. Neilson, from Mission Viejo, Calif., has enjoyed the most successful season of his career. He ranks second in the WAC on the boards, pulling down 9.0 rebounds a game. He also ranks second in the WAC with a 57.4 percent clip from the field. He leads both the team and the WAC in blocks, averaging 1.72 a game. Neilson has 50 blocks this season which is just six shy of tying the UVU all-time single season blocks record.