EDINBURG, Texas–Conner Toolson scored a season-high 23 points and Akolda Manyang recorded his fifth double-double of the season to lead Utah Valley to its eighth straight win with an 84-76 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
With the win, Utah Valley improves to 15-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in WAC play. UTRGV falls to 10-10 overall and 2-2 in league play. The 15-5 record is the best record through 20 games in UVU's history. It also marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that the Wolverines have opened the conference season with a perfect 4-0 WAC record.
 
"I'm really proud of this team," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "This was a team win. Winning on the road is really hard. This UTRGV team is really talented and really put up a fight. It was a great game and I'm proud of the way our guys battled."
 
The Wolverines were clicking on offense early as Jake Toolson and Kenneth Ogbe both knocked down threes to open the game. Manyang joined in on the scoring moments later as he completed a three-point play on his first attempt of the contest.
 
Holding a four-point lead at the 14-minute mark, UVU came out of a timeout with a 7-0 run to take the first double-digit advantage of the night. UTRGV responded with back-to-back threes to trim the deficit back to five. Both teams struggled to score for the next stretch of the contest, and the Wolverines' lead fluctuated between five and nine points.
 
A 9-0 spurt by Utah Valley pushed the lead back to double figures, but the Vaqueros kept things close and again reduced the scoring gap down to single digits with a 10-2 run. UTRGV continued to chip away and pulled within two, but Conner Toolson put in a shot from distance to help the Wolverines take a 51-46 advantage into halftime.
 
Utah Valley opened the second half on a 10-2 run to grab a 13-point lead. The Wolverines then shifted their focus to the defensive end as they held the double-digit lead until the nine-minute mark. After UTRGV cut the deficit to six, Conner Toolson put together a three-point play to stretch the lead back to 11.
 
The Vaqueros again made a run to pull within five, but Conner Toolson continued his hot shooting and hit threes on consecutive trips down the floor to hold the lead for the Wolverines and put them up by nine with just under four minutes to play. UTRGV made one final run to pull within five, but UVU knocked down its free throws and secured the eight-point victory.
 
Conner Toolson scored his 23 points on an 8-of-13 clip from the field, including a 6-of-11 mark from long range. Ogbe was also in double figures with 17 points, connecting on 6-of-13 shots from the field. Manyang recorded a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. The senior center hit 5-of-7 shots from the field and knocked down 5-of-8 free throws.
 
Brandon Randolph was just one point shy of a double-double as he scored nine points and dished out a season-high 12 assists. The 12 assists were just two shy of his own school record of 14 set last season.
 
Utah Valley rounds out the road trip with an afternoon contest at New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. MST and can be viewed on ESPN3. Following Saturday's tilt with NMSU, UVU returns home for a showdown with Grand Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 27.