Utah Valley (11-5) vs. CSU Bakersfield (7-8)
Saturday, January 6, 2017  |  7 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah   |   UCCU Center (7,500)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
Live Video: WAC Digital Network (Brandon Crow/Holton Hunsaker)
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley closed out non-conference play with an 87-78 win over Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 30 to finish with a program-best 11-5 non-league record. The Wolverines now host CSU Bakersfield on Saturday in the team's WAC opener. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.at the UCCU Center.

After dropping a road contest to Cal State Fullerton earlier in the season, Utah Valley won the grudge match, 87-78, in its final non-conference game of the season on Dec. 30 at the UCCU Center. Kenneth Ogbe led all scorers on the night with a season-high 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-9 clip from long range. He also dished out five assists with a pair of rebounds. Randolph and Manyang dropped in 20 apiece. Randolph knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the floor and was an impressive 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Manyang led UVU on the boards with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 20 points. He also tallied two blocks in 26 minutes of action. DeBerry finished his debut with 12 points and three rebounds.

All five of UVU's starters are averaging double figure scoring this season led by Akolda Manyang's 14.5 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team at 14.1 points, while Jake Toolson and Brandon Randolph are tied for third at 12.1 points per game apiece. Conner Toolson is fifth on the team in scoring at 11.4 points a contest.

Utah Valley graduate forward Zach Nelson is closing in on the 1,000-point mark. Nelson currently has 930 points and is just 70 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 will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/live. 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 CSU BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield wrapped up non-conference play with a 7-8 record. The team dropped its final two non-league games, falling 76-62 at Delaware before dropping a 95-67 decision at Arkansas. Prior to its two losses, the team had won three straight, including wins over Life Pacific, Idaho, and Georgia Southern. In the loss at Arkansas on Dec. 27, freshman guard Jarkel Joiner led the 'Runners in the loss at Arkansas, scoring a team-high 12 points. Junior guard Rickey Holden and freshman guard/forward Justin Davis were also in double figures with 11 points apiece. Joiner leads the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game. Three other Roadrunners also average double figures, including Holden (10.6 ppg.), junior guard Damiyne Durham (10.6 ppg.), and senior guard/forward Shon Briggs (10.5 ppg.). As a team, CSUB is averaging 66.9 points per game while allowing opponents a 69.2 points per game average. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSU Bakersfield meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 19th time on Saturday night. The Roadrunners hold an all-time 12-6 advantage over the Wolverines. CSUB has won the last six matchups between the two squads. UVU's last win over CSUB was a 74-69 victory on March 7, 2015 in Orem. UVU holds an all-time 4-4 record against the Roadrunners in games played at the UCCU Center. 

Last Five Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads, 12-6)
March 10, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 81-80 (4OT)    Las Vegas
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

LAST TIME VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD (3/10/17)
Utah Valley's upset bid fell just short in a historic 81-80 quadruple overtime setback to top-seeded CSU Bakersfield in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament on March 10, 2017 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The game is the first four-overtime game in WAC Tournament's 34-year history. There had been 19 overtimes, including two double overtime games and two triple overtime contests, but never a fourth. The game featured 22 ties and 18 lead changes.

Trailing by three points, 81-78, with 1:35 to play in the fourth overtime, Utah Valley's Andrew Bastien connected on a layup and was fouled. Bastien missed the free throw but was able to cut the CSUB lead to just one point, 81-80, with 1:23 to go. After trading missed shots, UVU's Ivory Young drove to the basket and missed a shot with two seconds remaining that would have given the Wolverines the lead. UVU fouled and sent Moataz Aly to the free throw line where he missed both attempts. Conner Toolson's shot from half court with .09 seconds to play would not fall as the Roadrunners snuck away with the victory.

Young and Kenneth Ogbe each scored 15 points to lead the Wolverines in the setback. Young connected on three shots from the field, including one from beyond the arc. The senior guard knocked down 8-of-9 shots from the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out a game-high five assists. Ogbe scored his 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including a 3-of-6 clip from long range.

Jordan Poydras was also in double figures with 13 points. The senior guard also pulled down five rebounds and tallied two assists in 48 minutes of play. Isaac Neilson and Andrew Bastien combined for 28 of UVU's 68 rebounds. The Wolverines out-rebounded CSU Bakersfield 68-51 on the night. Neilson also scored four points with two assists, one block and an assist. Bastien scored six points with a pair of blocks.

Both teams struggled from the field with Utah Valley shooting a 31.6 percent (24-of-76) clip from the field, including a 28.1 percent (9-of-32) mark from three-point range. CSUB connected on just 29.5 percent (23-of-78) shots from the field with a 16.7 percent (3-of-18) clip from beyond the arc.

Jaylin Airington led CSU Bakersfield with a game-high 22 points. Dedrick Basile scored 18 points, while Matt Smith and Shon Briggs were also in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

UVU WRAPS UP NON-CONFERENCE PLAY WITH WIN OVER FULLERTON
After dropping a road contest to Cal State Fullerton earlier this season, the Utah Valley University men's basketball team won the grudge match, 87-78, in its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday night at the UCCU Center.

The Wolverines pushed their win streak to four with the victory while wrapping up non-conference play with a program-best 11-5 record. UVU is now an impressive 8-1 at home this season. Three different players hit the 20-point mark for UVU while the team shot 40 percent from the field compared to a 34 percent clip for Fullerton. Utah Valley assisted on 17 of its 24 made field goals.

Brandon Randolph initiated the offense for UVU early on as he scored the first bucket for the Wolverines and found Akolda Manyang for an and-one alley-oop. Manyang went on to score nine-straight points.

With just under ten minutes to play in the opening half, Kenneth Ogbe knocked down back-to-back threes to give UVU its largest lead of the half, 22-14. Moments later, in his Utah Valley debut, Jerrelle DeBerry knocked down a three to score his first points in a Wolverine jersey and push the lead to nine.

UVU's lead continued to hover around double-digits but Fullerton closed the half on a 12-5 run and cut the deficit down to five as the half ended with the score 39-34. Manyang led the way for the Wolverines in the scoring column in the first half with 11, and Randolph was close behind with nine. Randolph also led Utah Valley on the glass with four rebounds, and in assists with three.

Through the opening stretch of the second half, the Titans trimmed UVU's lead several times and with just under 16 minutes on the clock, a pair of free-throws gave Cal State Fullerton its first advantage of the game, 47-46. The Wolverines responded with a quick 7-0 burst to recapture the lead.

The score bounced between a one and two-possession game before DeBerry scored six-straight points for UVU, and Manyang threw down a big dunk to put Utah Valley up by eight with ten minutes to play. Fullerton got as close as four, but the Wolverines extended their lead as Ogbe hit a three with five minutes remaining to put the Wolverines up by ten.

The Titans cut the deficit down to five, but were unable to get any closer. Ogbe and Randolph both knocked down late free-throws and UVU got stops on the defensive end to close out the game.

Ogbe led all scorers on the night with a season-high 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-9 clip from long range. He also dished out five assists with a pair of rebounds. Randolph and Manyang dropped in 20 apiece. Randolph knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the floor and was an impressive 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Manyang led UVU on the boards with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 20 points. He also tallied two blocks in 26 minutes of action. DeBerry finished his debut with 12 points and three rebounds.

UVU RECORDS BEST NON-CONFERENCE RECORD IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah Valley has already 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. A win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday would match that mark. 

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 16-game start to a season
1.    11-5    2003-04 season
       11-5    2017-18 season
2.    10-6    2006-07 season
3.    9-7    2013-14 season
4.    8-8    2008-09 season
       8-8    2010-11 season
       8-8    2016-17 season

WAC OPENERS
Utah Valley holds a 2-2 all-time record in WAC openers. The team is 1-1 in WAC openers when opening the season at home. The game against CSU Bakersfield will mark the second time that UVU has opened WAC play against the Roadrunners as the Wolverines defeated CSUB 82-74 in the team's WAC opener in 2014. 

UVU All-Time in WAC Openers
Jan. 04, 2014    at CSU Bakersfield, W 82-74
Jan. 10, 2015    vs. Seattle U, W 70-52
Jan. 07, 2016    vs. New Mexico State, L 66-78
Jan. 07, 2017    at Grand Canyon, L 72-82

UVU ONCE AGAIN RECEIVING VOTES IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOP-25 MID MAJOR POLL
For the third time this season, Utah Valley is receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Midmajor Top-25 poll. The Wolverines received four points in the latest poll released on Jan. 2. UVU sits just one point behind UC Davis, who has five points. 

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 14.5 points a game, followed by Kenneth Ogbe at 14.1 points, Jake Toolson at 12.1 points, Brandon Randolph at 12.1 points, and Conner Toolson at 11.4 points a contest. The five starters average a combined 64.2 points per game. As a team, UVU averages 81.2 points per game. The five starters are responsible for 79 percent of the team's points. 

LOVING THE LONG BALL - UVU BREAKS THREE-POINT RECORD
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 114 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 159-46 (77.5 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 7-1 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 Nov. 30 against BYU, 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 930 points and is just 70 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 544 rebounds and 231 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)

NELSON CLIMBING UVU CAREER RECORD CHARTS
Zach Nelson currently ranks in the top-10 in 16 different all-time individual career statistical categories. He ranks second all-time in defensive rebounds (407), third in rebounds (544), third in games started (92), fourth in blocks (78), sixth in minutes played (2657), seventh in blocks per game (0.8), sixth in field goals made (359), seventh in field goals attempted (726), eighth in three-point field goals attempted (259), seventh in assists (231), eighth in points (930), eighth in offensive rebounds (137), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (4.0), ninth in rebounds per game (5.3), ninth in field goal percentage (.494), and 10th in free throws attempted (207).

UTAH VALLEY FEATURES TWO OF THE OLDEST PLAYERS IN NCAA DIVISION I BASKETBALL
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. 

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.

SECOND-BEST RPI IN THE WAC
As of Jan. 4, Utah Valley's RPI is 77 according to WarrenNolan.com. UVU sits a spot ahead of Boston College at 78 and two spots ahead of Nebraska at 79. The Wolverines have one of the best non-conference RPI win of the season with its victory over No. 47 UC Davis.  The Wolverines hold the second-best RPI in the WAC as the team sits behind New Mexico State (41). UVU is ahead of CSU Bakersfield (135), Seattle U (214), Grand Canyon (223), Kansas City (246), UTRGV (267), and Chicago State (297). The WAC's conference RPI currently sits at No. 15, ahead of the Big West (16), Conference USA (17), Southern (18), Big Sky (19), and MAAC (20).

LEADING THE WAC, NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 4, Utah Valley leads the WAC in nine statistical categories. The Wolverines rank nationally in the top-40 in six different categories. Utah Valley ranks ninth in country in total rebounds (650), 11th in rebound margin (9.3), 14th in total assists (254), 27th in rebounds per game (40.63), 35th in field-goal percentage (48.8), and 40th in assists per game (16.9).

MANYANG AMONG NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
As of Jan. 4, Akolda Manyang ranks in the top-50 nationally in six statistical categories. Manyang ranks 17th in total blocks (40), 17th in field-goal percentage (64.8), 20th in rebounds (146), 25th in blocks per game (2.50), 33rd in offensive rebounds per game (3.19), and 42nd in rebounds per game (9.1). 

FIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS ON THIS SEASON'S SLATE
Utah Valley will play five teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. In fact, the team plays five teams that won their conference tournaments last year. Kentucky won the SEC Tournament, Duke won the ACC Tournament, UC Davis won the Big West Tournament, North Dakota won the Big Sky Tournament, and New Mexico State won the WAC Tournament. UVU has already played four of those teams this season, three of which were on the road. UVU fell to Kentucky (63-73) and Duke (69-99) on back-to-back nights. The team then defeated UC Davis at home, 80-71, in the Wolverines' home opener before getting past North Dakota, 83-75, in overtime on the road. 

UVU BOASTS TWO PLAYERS WITH MBAs
Utah Valley might be the only team in the country with two players that have already graduated with both their undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees. Zach Nelson and Kenneth Ogbe have each earned their MBAs at UVU this past summer. The pair turned down high-paying jobs to finish out their final year of eligibility at UVU. Junior guard Hayden Schenck earned his undergrad degree this summer and is currently enrolled in his first year of UVU's MBA program. Under head coach Mark Pope, Utah Valley basketball players hold a perfect pass-fail rate. Every single player under his guidance has passed each and every class taken over the past two seasons. This year's team holds an impressive 3.41 team grade point average, which is likely one of the best team marks in the country.

#TOUGHEST24 - UTAH VALLEY PLAYS TOUGHEST 24 HOURS OF BASKETBALL IN NCAA HISTORY
Utah Valley embarked on what is likely the toughest 24 hours of basketball ever played in NCAA history. Utah Valley traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to open the 2017-18 season against SEC foe Kentucky on Nov. 10 at Rupp Arena before continuing its road trip against ACC foe Duke on Nov. 11 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Wolverines played two of the top-5 teams in the nation on back-to-back nights on the road at a pair of basketball cathedrals. UVU chartered a plane and welcomed a travel party of over 100 staff and boosters to join the team on the trip.  Kentucky and Duke own a combined 13 NCAA men's basketball national titles. Kentucky was ranked No. 4/5 and Duke was the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the preseason polls. ESPN embedded a reporter and a television crew with the team, which featured a behind-the-scenes, all-access look at the Wolverines on the trip. ESPN' SportsCenter created a four-minute documentary-style feature on UVU that aired on SportsCenter throughout the day on Sunday, Nov. 12. ESPN's Sam Strong also traveled with the Wolverines and featured numerous stories and video clips about the team on ESPN.com throughout the entire #Toughest24 trip. ESPN's Kevin Connors also featured the Wolverines on SportsCenter two times prior to the trip and once while the Wolverines were on the trip.