Utah Valley (15-5, 4-0) at New Mexico State (16-3, 4-0)
Saturday, January 20, 2018  |  4 p.m. MST
Las Cruces, N.M.   |   Pan American Center (12,575)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
TV: ESPN3 / Altitude 2 / Fox Sports Arizona / Fox Sports Southwest / Fox College Sports Pacific
Live Video: ESPN3 / Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: NMSU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley won its eighth-straight game on Thursday night, defeating WAC foe UTRGV, 84-76, to improve to a perfect 4-0 in conference play. The eight-game win streak is the fourth-longest streak in the nation. UVU now looks to make it nine in a row on Saturday as the team continues WAC road play at New Mexico State. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. (MT)

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. Kenneth Ogbe helped with 17 points, while Manyang added 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Brandon Randolph dished out a season-high 12 assists in the win.

Utah Valley is tied for the fourth-longest win streak in the nation at eight games. The Wolverines are tied with Vermont and Wright State with eight-game win streaks. Purdue holds the nation's longest win streak at 14 games, followed by Saint Mary's at 13 games and three other teams at nine games.

UVU has six of its players averaging double figures, including all five of its starters. Akolda Manyang leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team at 13.9 points per game off the bench. Conner Toolson is third at 12.3 points a contest. Jake Toolson averages 12.0 points, followed by Brandon Randolph at 11.4 and Jerrelle DeBerry at 10.6.

Utah Valley graduate forward Zach Nelson is closing in on the 1,000-point mark. Nelson currently has 948 points and is just 52 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 14 of 17 games since the loss at Duke.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at New Mexico State will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The game will also be televised on Altitude 2, Fox Sports Arizona plus, Fox Sports Southwest plus, and Fox College Sports Pacific. The game will also be available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku. 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 NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State enters Saturday's game with a 16-3 overall record and a perfect 4-0 league mark. New Mexico State has won five in a row dating back to a 65-60 win at UC Irvine on Dec. 28. NMSU's last loss was a 77-72 setback to USC in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. NM State's only other losses include a 92-74 loss to Saint Mary's and a 65-60 setback at home to San Diego. The Aggies are 7-1 at home this season. Graduate guard Zach Lofton leads the Aggies in scoring at 19.7 points per game. Lofton is a four-time WAC Player of the Week honoree this season. He also averages 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Senior forward Jemerrio Jones is also averaging double figures at 10.2 points a contest. He leads the team on the boards, pulling down 11.4 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard AJ Harris and junior forward Eli Chuha are nearly averaging double digits at 9.6 points per game each. As a team, NMSU is averaging 73.68 points per game while limiting opponents to a 63.68 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
Utah Valley and New Mexico State meet up on the basketball hardwood for the ninth time on Saturday. The Aggies hold an all-time 6-2 advantage in the series. Utah Valley won the last meeting with the Wolverines taking an 84-72 win in Las Cruces, snapping NMSU's 23-game home win streak and its 39-game WAC home win streak. UVU holds an all-time 1-3 record against NMSU in Las Cruces.

Last Five Results vs. NM State (NMSU leads all-time series, 6-2)
Feb. 23, 2017    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 84-72        Las Cruces, N.M.
Jan. 28, 2017    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 74-69        Orem, Utah
Feb. 06, 2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 98-74        Las Cruces, N.M.
Jan. 07, 2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 78-66        Orem, Utah
Feb. 19, 2015    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 51-38        Orem, Utah

LAST TIME VS. NMSU (2/23/17)
Ivory Young and Kenneth Ogbe each scored 16 points to lead Utah Valley to an 84-72 win over New Mexico State on Feb. 23, 2017 at the Pan American Center. The win snaps NM State's 39-game conference home win streak and ends the nation's third-longest home win streak at 23 games.
 
Utah Valley (12-15, 4-8) is the first team this season to pick up a win in the Pan American Center as NM State (23-5, 9-3) entered the contest with a perfect 14-0 record at the Pan American Center. The Aggies last loss at home was a 62-59 setback to Wyoming on Dec. 13, 2015. NMSU's last WAC home loss dates back to a 68-60 loss to Nevada on Jan. 26, 2012.
 
The game featured 14 lead changes and seven ties before Utah Valley went on a 19-0 run over a 5:34 stretch to take a 17-point 69-52 lead with 6:45 to play in the game. Utah Valley out-scored the Aggies 18-15 over the final six minutes to hang on to the team's first-ever win in Las Cruces.
 
"This is literally a historic win for us," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. "I'm really proud of our guys. We have been grinding for a long time and we've had all kinds of different holes in our books. Sometimes we really struggle to make a shot but the whole time my guys have come to practice every day ready to compete and battle. They are still really receptive to everything we are trying to teach to them. This game is a really special thing and when you stick with it with dog and determination and stick with it with your team, the game rewards you and it did to us tonight. I'm really happy for these guys."
 
Young scored his 16 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field, including a 1-of-1 mark from three-point range. The senior guard also knocked down 7-of-8 free throws and tallied five rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of play.
 
Ogbe registered his 16 points on a 4-of-10 clip from the field, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Ogbe knocked down 6-of-9 shots at the charity stripe and pulled down two rebounds with one assist.
 Brandon Randolph and Jordan Poydras were also in double figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Randolph knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including a season-high tying three shots from long range. The junior guard dished out a game-high four assists to go along with a pair of rebounds. Poydras hit 6-of-10 shots from the field and went a perfect 2-for-2 at the line for his 14 points. The senior guard also pulled down three rebounds, dished out two assists and tallied a pair of steals.
 
Conner Toolson led the Wolverines on the boards with a team-high eight rebounds to go along with six points.
 
Utah Valley shot an impressive 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the field—the second best mark of the season. The Wolverines connected on 45 percent (9-of-20) from beyond the arc. UVU held NM State to a 38.6 percent (27-of-70) clip from the field and an 18.5 percent (5-of-27) mark from three-point range.
 
UVU out-rebounded NM State 40-38 on the night. The Wolverines got 54 points from its bench compared to NMSU's 19 points.
 
Senior guard Ian Baker led New Mexico State with a game-high 21 points. Matt Taylor helped with 11 points while Braxton Huggins and Jemerrio Jones each had 10.

UTAH VALLEY WINS EIGHTH IN A ROW WITH 84-76 WIN AT UTRGV
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.
 
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.

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

STREAKING
With its win at UTRGV on Thursday night, Utah Valley has now won eight straight games, the longest win streak of the season. The eight-game win streak bests last year's longest win 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 seven-game win streak is the fourth-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
     8-game    2017-18 season
5.    6-game    2007-08 season
6.    5-game    2010-11 season

UVU'S EIGHT-GAME WIN STREAK FOURTH-LONGEST IN NATION
Utah Valley's eight-game win streak is the fourth-longest current win streak in the country. Auburn holds the best current streak in the nation at 14 games, followed by Purdue at 13 games, and Saint Mary's at 12 games. Four teams currently hold an eight-game win streak, while Utah Valley is tied with Wichita State, South Dakota State, Vermont, and Wright State with seven-game win streaks.

Longest Active Win Streaks
1.    14    Purdue                 1/20 at Iowa
2.    13    Saint Mary's         1/20 at Pacific    
3.    9    Cincinnati               1/20 vs. ECU
       9    Rhode Island         1/20 at Dayton
       9    Virginia                  1/21 at Wake Forest
       9    ETSU                     1/20 vs. WCU
4.    8    Utah Valley            1/20 at NMSU
      8    Vermont                  1/21 at Hartford
      8    Wright St.               1/20 at Milwaukee

UVU GAINING VOTES IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR POLL
UVU has received a season-best 59 votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Wolverines now sit in the 28th spot in the poll. WAC foe New Mexico State continues to hold the No. 3 spot in the latest poll. Grand Canyon is also receiving votes in the poll (44) and sits in the 30th spot. UVU moved up 10 spots in this week's poll after sweeping a pair of WAC home games last week.
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. Akolda Manyang leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team at 13.9 points per game. Conner Toolson is third at 12.3 points a contest off the bench. Jake Toolson averages 12.0 points, followed by Brandon Randolph at 11.4 and Jerrelle DeBerry at 10.6.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley drained 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 119 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.