Utah Valley (13-5, 2-0) vs. Chicago State (2-17, 0-2)
Saturday, January 13, 2018  |  7 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   UCCU Center (7,500)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
TV: UVUtv (Brandon Crow/Holton Hunsaker)
Live Video: WAC Digital Network / Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley won its sixth straight game on Thursday night, defeating WAC foe UMKC, 95-59, to improve to a perfect 2-0 in conference play. The Wolverines look to make it seven in a row on Saturday night as the team hosts Chicago State at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

 Kenneth Ogbe scored a game-high 18 points while Conner Toolson and Jerrelle DeBerry added 17 apiece to lead Utah Valley to a 95-59 win over Kansas City on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Ogbe scored his 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-6 clip from long range. Conner Toolson was close behind with 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-3 clip from distance. Toolson also snagged five rebounds to go along with three assists, three steals and a block. DeBerry joined Toolson with 17 points off the bench while knocking down three shots from long range of his own. Nakwaasah also had a solid game off the bench with 13 points on a 3-of-5 clip from long range to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Neilson led Utah Valley on the glass with nine rebounds in addition to six points, two steals and a block. Jake Toolson was the assist leader on the night with six, and also pitched in eight points. Nelson put in nine points off the bench while grabbing four rebounds.

UVU has six of its players averaging double figures, including all five of its starters. Kenneth Ogbe leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Jerrelle DeBerry ranks second on the team at 13.7 points per game off the bench. Akolda Manyang is third at 13.6 points a contest. Jake Toolson averages 12.1 points, followed by Conner Toolson at 11.6 and Brandon Randolph at 11.5.

Utah Valley graduate forward Zach Nelson is closing in on the 1,000-point mark. Nelson currently has 940 points and is just 60 points shy of reaching the milestone. Nelson will become just the seventh player in UVU history to reach the mark. Nelson will become the first player in UVU history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 or more rebounds and dish out 200 or more assists.
 
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.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday night's game against Chicago State will be broadcast live on UVUtv with a live stream available on the WAC Digital Network (WACsports.com/live). The game will also be available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku. Brandon Crow and former Wolverine Holton Hunsaker will be on the call. The game will also be available on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch handling the play-by-play duties. A live audio 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 CHICAGO STATE
Chicago State enters Saturday night's game with a 2-17 overall record and a 0-2 league mark. CSU is looking for its first road win of the season as the team is 0-13 away from home this season. The Cougars have lost 13 straight games dating back to an 84-73 setback at UMBC on Nov. 23. CSU's wins include a 101-53 win over Silver Lake and a 113-65 win over East-West on Nov. 21. Preseason first team all-WAC honoree Fred Sims Jr., leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points a game. As a team, Chicago State averages 66.7 points a game while allowing opponents an 85.6 points per game average. The Cougars are coached by Tracy Dildy who is in his eighth season with the team.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CHICAGO STATE
Utah Valley and Chicago State meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 21st time on Saturday night. UVU holds a 15-5 all-time advantage in the series dating back to 2008. The two teams split the two-game WAC series last year with each team winning on the road. UVU has won three of the last four matchups, including an 87-54 win in the team's last meeting on Feb. 11, 2017 in Chicago. UVU holds an all-time 9-1 record at home against the Cougars. Chicago State won its first-ever game at the UCCU Center last season, defeating UVU 70-61.

Last Five Results vs. Chicago State (UVU leads 15-5)
Feb. 11, 2017    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 87-54    Chicago
Jan. 12, 2017    Chicago State def. Utah Valley, 70-61    Orem
Feb. 18, 2016    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 74-72    Orem
Jan. 23, 2016    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 82-76    Chicago
Feb. 28, 2015    Chicago State def. Utah Valley, 65-44    Chicago

LAST TIME VS. CHICAGO STATE (2/11/17)
Conner Toolson scored a game-high 17 points and Isaac Neilson recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley to an 87-54 road win over Chicago State on Feb. 11, 2017 at the Jones Convocation Center.
 
The win snapped a three-game skid for Utah Valley, which improved to 11-13 overall and 3-6 in WAC play. Chicago State fell to 6-21 overall and 1-9 in league play.
 
Chicago State took a 6-3 lead to open the game before a Jared Stutzman three-pointer with 16:22 to play in the first half sparked a 15-2 UVU run capped off by an Andrew Bastien dunk and a Conner Toolson three gave the Wolverines an 18-8 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half. Leading by seven points, 23-16, with 4:17 left to play in the opening half, Utah Valley went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-point, 37-18, advantage into the break.
 
Chicago State couldn't get any closer than 20 points in the second half as the Wolverines used an 11-2 run to extend their lead to 30 points, 60-30, with 11:16 left to play. The Cougars were able to cut the lead back to 21 points, 72-51, with 4:20 to play, but UVU hit five three-pointers over the final four minutes to finish the game on a 15-3 run to secure the 87-54 victory.
 
Utah Valley recorded its best shooting performance of the season against a Division I team, knocking down 53.3 percent (32-of-60) of its shots. The Wolverines connected on 43.3 percent (13-of-30) of its shots from beyond the arc. UVU held Chicago State to just a 19.0 percent (11-of-58) shooting mark—the team's best defensive field goal percentage effort of the season.
 
Toolson scored his game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-6 clip from long range. The sophomore guard also pulled down five rebounds with two blocks, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes of play.
 
Jordan Poydras dropped in 12 points, while Stutzman and Neilson were also in double figures with 10 points apiece. Poydras knocked down 4-of-9 shots from the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the stripe. He also dished out three assists and pulled down a pair of boards.
 Neilson recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The junior forward also had a pair of steals and a block in the win. Stutzman hit 3-of-5 shots from long range and knocked down 1-of-2 free throws for his double-digit performance.
 
Ivory Young and Kenneth Ogbe each scored nine points, while Andrew Bastien helped with eight. Brandon Randolph dished out a game-high eight assists to go along with five points, three rebounds and two steals.'
Utah Valley out-rebounded Chicago State 45-35 on the day. The Wolverines also out-scored the Cougars 34-8 in the paint.
 
Fred Sims Jr. led Chicago State with 16 points while Tayvon Palmer helped with 15.

UTAH VALLEY WINS SIXTH STRAIGHT WITH 95-59 WIN OVER UMKC
Kenneth Ogbe scored a game-high 18 points while Conner Toolson and Jerrelle DeBerry added 17 apiece to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to a 95-59 win over Kansas City on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
 
With the win, the Wolverines improves to 13-5 overall on the year and 2-0 in WAC play. The winning streak for Utah Valley is now six games, its longest of the season. UVU knocked down an impressive 13 shots from long range--the team's fifth game of the season with 10 or more threes. A 35-20 margin in the rebounding battle and 28 points off 19 forced turnovers both contributed to the win for the Wolverines. UVU also enjoyed a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Utah Valley's offense got off to a quick start when Conner Toolson connected on a shot from long distance on the game's first possession, and Ogbe hit a layup the next trip down the floor. Toolson went on to knock down his second three just a few moments later.
 
Holding a two-point lead at the 14-minute mark, Ogbe and DeBerry combined to hit three-consecutive three pointers and push UVU's lead to nine. Following a layup from Zach Nelson, Ben Nakwaasah subbed in and knocked down another three, followed by Deberry's second make from downtown. Another three and layup from Conner Toolson capped a 19-4 run for Utah Valley.
 
UMKC was able to find a little rhythm on offense before the half ended, but UVU gradually built its lead and took a 44-27 advantage into the break. Conner Toolson's 11 points on a 4-of-4 clip from the field including 3-of-3 from long distance led the Wolverines in the first half. DeBerry pitched in nine off the bench with a 2-of-2 mark from three, and Ogbe scored eight. Isaac Neilson grabbed seven first-half rebounds while Jake Toolson dished out five assists. Utah Valley knocked down eight threes in the half.
 
UVU started quickly again in the second half with a 23-3 run through the opening seven minutes. Ogbe scored 10 points during the stretch, including a pair of threes. The Wolverines continued to grow their lead with hot shooting and solid defense, and a free-throw from Nelson extended the lead to 40 with seven minutes to play. Utah Valley continued to maintain its lead, and earned its second-straight win in which the margin of victory was over thirty points.
 
Ogbe led the way in scoring for UVU on the night with 18 points on four threes. Conner Toolson was close behind with 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-3 clip from distance. Toolson also snagged five rebounds to go along with three assists, three steals and a block. DeBerry joined Toolson with 17 points off the bench while knocking down three shots from long range of his own.
 
Nakwaasah also had a solid game off the bench with 13 points on a 3-of-5 clip from long range to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Neilson led Utah Valley on the glass with nine rebounds in addition to six points, two steals and a block. Jake Toolson was the assist leader on the night with six, and also pitched in eight points. Nelson put in nine points off the bench while grabbing four rebounds.

UVU RECORDS BEST NON-CONFERENCE RECORD IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah Valley secured its best non-conference record since the team entered the Great West Conference in 2008. The Wolverines played independently as a provision Division I member from 2003 to 2008 and were not affiliated with a conference. UVU opened the 2003-04 season with a 11-5 record through its first 16 games but 10 of the 11 wins were over non-Division I members.

Best Non-Conference records since joining WAC (2013-14 season)
1.    11-5    2017-18 season
2.    8-7    2016-17 season
3.    6-7    2013-14 season
4.    6-9    2015-16 season
5.    5-9    2014-15 season

Best 17-game start to a season (Since playing a full D-I schedule in 04-05)
1.    13-5    2017-18 season
2.    11-6    2006-07 season
3.    10-7    2013-14 season
4.    9-8    2008-09 season
    9-8    2010-11 season
6.    8-9    2016-17 season

STREAKING
With its win over Kansas City on Thursday night, Utah Valley has now won six straight games, the longest win streak of the season. The six-game win streak bests last year's best streak of five games. The longest win streak in school history came during the 2011-12 season when the Wolverines won 13 straight games. The current five-game win streak ties the team for the fifth-longest win streak in program history.

Longest Win Streaks in UVU history (Since playing a full D-I schedule in 04-05)
1.    13-game    2011-12 season
2.    9-game    2006-07 season
3.    8-game    2013-14 season
4.    6-game    2007-08 season
    6-game    2017-18 season
6.    5-game    2010-11 season

WAC OPENERS
Utah Valley is now 3-2 all-time in WAC openers after defeating CSU Bakersfield on Saturday night. The team is now 2-1 in WAC openers when opening the season at the UCCU Center.

UVU GAINING VOTES IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR POLL
Utah Valley has 13 votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Wolverines now sit in the 38th spot in the poll. WAC foe New Mexico State moved up to No. 3 in the latest poll. Grand Canyon is also receiving votes in the poll (43) and sits in the 30th spot.

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. UVU actually has six of its players averaging double figures, including all five of its starters. Kenneth Ogbe leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Jerrelle DeBerry ranks second on the team at 13.7 points per game off the bench. Akolda Manyang is third at 13.6 points a contest. Jake Toolson averages 12.1 points, followed by Conner Toolson at 11.6 and Brandon Randolph at 11.5.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley his 16 three-point field goals in its 90-82 win over UC Riverside on Dec. 28. The 16 threes ties the team for the second most in school history with the 2008-09 team which also knocked down 16 threes against NJIT on Feb. 28, 2009. UVU broke the three-point field goals made record in a win at BYU last season as the team knocked down 18 treys en route to its 114-101 win at the Marriott Center last season. UVU did connect on a school-record 13 threes in the first half of the win over UC Riverside on Dec. 28. The 13 threes are the most ever recorded in a single half by a UVU team.

THREE-POINT STREAKING
Utah Valley has now hit a three-point field goal in 115 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 160-46 (77.6 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 9-1 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.

ZACH NELSON CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINT CLUB
Utah Valley graduate forward Zach Nelson is closing in on the 1,000-point mark. Nelson currently has 940 points and is just 60 points shy of reaching the milestone. Nelson will become just the seventh player in UVU history to reach the mark. Nelson will become the first player in UVU history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 or more rebounds and dish out 200 or more assists as he currently has 549 rebounds and 232 assists. He will become the second player in UVU history to score 1,000 points and pull down 500 rebounds. Ben Aird is the only other player to score 1,000 points and pull down at least 500 rebounds as he scored 1,516 points and pulled down 1,012 rebounds.

UVU 1,000 Point Club
1.    2,163    Ryan Toolson (03-04, 06-09)
2.    1,545    Holton Hunsaker (2010-14)
3.    1,516    Ben Aird (2010-14)
4.    1,245    Ronnie Price (2003-05)
5.    1,078    David Heck (2003-07)
6.    1,066    Isiah Williams (2010-12)