Utah Valley (19-8, 8-3) at CSU Bakersfield (11-15, 4-7)
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018  |  8 p.m. MST
Bakersfield, Calif  |  Icardo Center (3,495)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
TV: ESPN3 (Vance Palm/Curtis Stelzer)
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: GoRunners.com
 

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OPENING TIP
After sweeping a pair of home games against New Mexico State and UT Rio Grande Valley last week, Utah Valley now heads out on its final regular season road trip of the season. The Wolverines travel to play at CSU Bakersfield on Thursday night and at Grand Canyon on Saturday night. Thursday night's game at CSU Bakersfield will tip-off at 8 p.m. (MST) and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Brandon Randolph and Jake Toolson each scored 16 points to pace three other Wolverines in double figures to lead Utah Valley to an 84-72 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday night at the UCCU Center. Jerrelle DeBerry scored 12 points, while Kenneth Ogbe and Conner Toolson also reached double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively.

Jake Toolson was named the WAC's Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-18. Toolson averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in a pair of wins last week to move the Wolverines into a tie for second place in the WAC standings, one game out of first place. Toolson opened the week with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in Utah Valley's 86-79 win over NM State. The win snapped the Aggies' 11-game win streak and handed them their first loss in WAC play this season. He knocked down 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. He also hit 2-of-2 free throws. In Saturday's win over UT Rio Grande Valley, Toolson scored 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, one block and a steal. He connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field and went 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. On the week, Toolson shot 73.3 percent from the field, 60 percent from three-point range, and was perfect from the free throw line.

Utah Valley earned its 19th win of the season with its 84-17 win over UTRGV on Saturday night. The win marks the highest win total of head coach Mark Pope's tenure at Utah Valley, improving upon last season's win total of 17. UVU has 19 wins with three regular season games remaining. The most wins in UVU's Division I era with a full Division I schedule came during the 2006-07 season when the team won 22 games. The last time UVU had 20 wins in a season was the 2013-14 season when the team won the WAC regular season title and made a trip to the NIT.

Utah Valley is tied for the seventh-longest current home win streak in the nation at 12 games. South Dakota State holds the nation's longest current home win streak at 19 games, followed by Texas Tech at 17 games in a row. Utah Valley improved to 14-1 at home this season with its wins over NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley on Feb. 15 and 17, respectively. The 14 wins matches the Utah Valley single-season record for home wins in a season with the 2006-07 team which went 14-1 and the 2011-12 team that finished the season with a 14-2 mark at home. With one home game remaining on the schedule, the Wolverines have a chance to secure the best home record in team history.

Utah Valley has five players averaging double figures. Kenneth Ogbe leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Akolda Manyang ranks second on the team at 13.4 points per game. Jake Toolson is third at 12.2 points a contest. Conner Toolson averages 12.0 points, followed by Brandon Randolph at 11.0.

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 15 of 18 games since the loss at Duke.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday night's game at CSU Bakersfield will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Vance Palm and Curtis Stelzer 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 enters Thursday night's game with a 11-15 overall record. The team is tied for sixth in the WAC standings with a 4-7 mark. The team has won three of its last five games, including a 71-58 win over Grand Canyon at home last week. The 'Runners have won three straight at the Icardo Center dating back to a 91-61 win over Chicago State on Feb. 1. Junior guard Damiyne Durham led CSUB with a game-high 17 points in the win over GCU. Freshman guard Justin Davis and junior guard Ricky Holden were also in double figures against the 'Lopes with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Davis also had 12 rebounds for a double-double. Durham leads the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game. Three other players are also averaging double digits. CSU Bakersfield averages 66.5 points per game, which is the lowest scoring average in the WAC this season. However, the 'Runners rank third in scoring defense, giving up only 68.4 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSU Bakersfield meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 20th time on Thursday night. CSUB holds a 12-7 all-time advantage in the series dating back to 2008. UVU lost all three games to the 'Runners last season, including an 81-80 quadruple overtime setback in the semifinals of the 2017 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas. Utah Valley snapped a six-game losing streak to the 'Runners earlier this season in Orem as the team picked up a 75-42 win in the Wolverines' WAC opener at the UCCU Center. UVU holds an all-time 2-6 record against CSUB in games played in Bakersfield. The last time UVU won a game in Bakersfield was on Jan. 4, 2014 as the Wolverines took an 82-74 win. Since then, UVU has dropped its last three games in Bakersfield.

Last 10 Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads 12-7)
Jan. 06, 2018    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 75-42        Orem, Utah
March 10, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 81-80 (4OT)    Las Vegas, Nevada    
Feb. 16, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 80-71        Orem, Utah
Jan. 21, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 68-65        Bakersfield, Calif.
Feb. 13, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 91-69        Bakersfield, Calif.
Jan. 30, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 78-74        Orem, Utah
March 12, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 55-40        Las Vegas, Nevada
March 07, 2015    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 74-69        Orem, Utah
Feb. 05, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 72-69        Bakersfield, Calif.
March 07, 2014    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 64-55        Orem, Utah

LAST TIME VS. CSUB (January 6, 2018 at UCCU Center)
After a tightly contested opening half, Utah Valley used a 49-17 advantage in the second half to claim a 75-42 victory over CSU Bakersfield in its first WAC game of the season on Jan. 6 at the UCCU Center.
 
With the win, the Wolverines improved their record to 12-5 overall on the season and 1-0 in conference play. The win stretched UVU's winning streak to five games and snapped a six-game winless streak against CSUB. Utah Valley won the rebounding battle on the night, 33-28, and scored 20 points off turnovers compared to just eight for Bakersfield. The Wolverines also boasted a 48 percent mark from the field while the Roadrunners hit just 33 percent of their shots.

Both team struggled to get on the scoreboard early as the total was locked at 3-3 through five minutes in the first half. Kenneth Ogbe knocked down a three to get Utah Valley going from the field. Out of the time out, Brandon Randolph hit a contested layup and Conner Toolson drilled a three in transition to spark a quick, 7-0 run.
 
After a 9-0 run from CSU Bakersfield gave them the lead, Jerrelle DeBerry and Ben Nakwaasah came of the bench to reignite the Wolverine offense with consecutive baskets. Isaac Neilson then joined in on the bench production with a layup of his own to give UVU a one-point lead with just over nine minutes to play in the half.
 
Neilson's bucket started another 7-0 run for Utah Valley, which included a three from Jake Toolson. CSUB tied the game with a 7-2 stretch, but DeBerry knocked down a three on the next possession to put the Wolverines up. A pair of free-throws from the Runners trimmed UVU's lead to one and made the score 26-25 heading into the halftime break.
 
Utah Valley used a balanced-scoring effort in the opening half, but DeBerry and Ogbe led the way with five apiece. Like the point totals, UVU's rebounding was balanced in the first half while Conner Toolson and Jake Toolson pulled down three boards each. Randolph's four assists led the Wolverines. Conner Toolson also grabbed two steals.
 
Out of the gate in the second half, Utah Valley started hot with a 16-2 run to open up a 15-point lead. The run spanned the first eight minutes and two seconds of the half. Randolph led the burst for the Wolverines with six points, including a three as the shot clock expired.
 
UVU continued its hot streak as the next stretch of the game featured a 15-5 run from the Wolverines, capped by back-to-back threes from the Toolson cousins. Utah Valley continued to steadily build its lead, and with just under two minutes to play Utah Valley claimed its largest lead, 33 points, on a free-throw from DeBerry.
 
Jake Toolson led the way for UVU in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and seven rebounds. Randolph followed closely with 13 points on a 5-of-7 clip from the field while pulling down four rebounds and dishing out four assists. DeBerry contributed a solid 12 points off the bench on a 7-of-8 mark from the charity stripe, and Ogbe put in 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 clip from the free-throw line. Conner Toolson scored 10 points on the night while grabbing five rebounds, and Neilson scored eight points as well.
 
UTAH VALLEY WINS 12TH-STRAIGHT HOME GAME IN 84-72 WIN OVER UTRGV
Brandon Randolph and Jake Toolson each scored 16 points to pace three other Wolverines in double figures to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to an 84-72 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday night at the UCCU Center.
 
UVU picked up its 12th-straight home win and improved to 19-8 overall and 8-3 in WAC play. UTRGV falls to 14-14 overall and 5-6 in league play.

Utah Valley took a 12-8 lead five minutes into the game and then used a 7-0 run to take an 11-point, 19-8, advantage at the 13:23 mark. UTRGV cut the lead to just five points, 29-24, with 6:19 remaining in the period. UVU went back up by 10 points, 36-26, with 4:34 left in the half but the Vaqueros responded with eight unanswered points to cut the UVU lead to just two points, 36-34 with 1:34 to go.  UVU then outscored UTRGV 5-2 to take a 41-36 lead into the break.
 
The Wolverines opened the second half with seven unanswered points to take a 48-36 lead. A Jake Toolson layup gave UVU its largest lead of the game at 15 points, 61-46, with 11:46 remaining. UTRGV cut the UVU lead to just six points, 78-72, with 1:49 to play but the Wolverines finished the game on a 5-0 run to secure the win.
 
Jake Toolson scored his 16 points on a 6-of-9 clip from the field, including a 1-of-2 mark from long range. He also was a perfect 3-of-3 at the free throw line. Toolson also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and dished out three assists with a block and a steal in 29 minutes of play.
 
Randolph connected on 5-of-12 shots from the field with a pair of threes. He also hit 4-of-5 shots at the charity stripe for his 16 points. The senior guard tallied a game-high six assists with one steal.
 
Jerrelle DeBerry scored 12 points, while Kenneth Ogbe and Conner Toolson also reached double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
 
As a team, Utah Valley knocked down 51.9 percent (28-of-54) of its shots from the field. The Wolverines limited UTRGV to a 41.0 percent (25-of-61) mark from the field. UVU won the battle of the boards, 37-30.
 
UVU HAS ONLY LOST BACK-TO-BACK GAMES ONE TIME THIS SEASON
With its win over New Mexico State on Feb. 15, Utah Valley escaped from losing back-to-back games for just the second time this season. The Wolverines opened the season with back-to-back losses at Kentucky and Duke to open the season but have since rebounded from its next four losses with a win. The team has lost back-to-back games just one time this season.

UVU ON VERGE OF FIRST 20-WIN SEASON SINCE 2013-14
Utah Valley has recorded four 20-win seasons in its Division I era. This year's team is now just one win away from the fifth 20-win season in UVU history. The last 20-win season came during the 2013-14 campaign when the team went 20-12 overall and finished 13-3 in WAC play for the team's first-ever WAC title. The 2013-14 team also made a trip the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) where it dropped a 77-64 decision at Cal.

20-Win Seasons in UVU History
1.    23-5         2003-04  (Did not play a full Division I schedule)
2.    22-7        2006-07
3.    20-13        2011-12  (CIT Tournament)
4.    20-12        2013-14  (NIT Tournament)
5.    19-8        2017-18

UVU'S 12-GAME HOME WIN STREAK SEVENETH-LONGEST IN THE COUNTRY
Utah Valley holds the seventh-longest current home win streak in the nation at 12 games. South Dakota State holds the nation's longest current home win streak at 19 games, followed by Texas Tech at 17 games and Louisiana and Rhode Island at 16 games. Utah Valley improved to 14-1 at home this season with wins over NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley on Feb. 15 and 17, respectively. The 14 wins matches the Utah Valley single-season record for home wins in a season with the 2006-07 team which went 14-1 and the 2011-12 team that finished the season with a 14-2 mark at home. With one home game remaining on the schedule, the Wolverines have a chance to secure the best home record in team history.

UVU HAS THE EIGHTH-BEST HOME COURT ADVANTAGE IN THE NATION
According to KenPom.com, Utah Valley has the eighth-best home court advantage in the nation. Iowa State holds the best home court advantage according to KenPom, followed by Colorado, Arkansas, Air Force, Illinois State, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech and Utah Valley.

KENPOM.COM/RPI UPDATE
With its two wins last week over New Mexico State and UTRGV, Utah Valley moved back into the top-100 on KenPom.com. UVU now comes in at No. 100. KenPom.com has UVU predicted to win two of its final three games on the regular season schedule. UVU's RPI also moved up to No. 82, according to the NCAA. UVU's win over NM State marks UVU's highest-rated win of the season as the victory gives UVU a win over a top-50 RPI team.

MANYANG JUST SEVEN BLOCKS AWAY FROM BREAKING UVU SINGLE SEASON BLOCKS RECORD
Utah Valley senior center Akolda Manyang is now just three blocks away from breaking the all-time UVU single season record for blocks. He is currently tied for second on the single season blocks chart with 54 blocks. Ben Aird holds the all-time single season record for blocks at 56, which he set during the 2012-13 season. Manyang's 54 blocks this season leads the WAC. UC Davis is UVU's second-best win as Davis currently holds an RPI of 110.

UVU HOLDS SOME OF THE HIGHEST SINGLE SEASON MARKS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Utah Valley is once again scoring more points than any team ever in program history. Pope's teams have broken the single season scoring record in each of his three seasons with the team. His 2015-16 team broke the scoring average record, averaging 76.0 points per game. His 2016-17 team then broke that record, averaging 76.9 points a contest. This year's team is now averaging a program-record 79.8 points per game. This year's team holds the highest field goal percentage in team history at a 48.5 percent clip (751-of-1547). This year's squad is also averaging a program-best 17.0 assists per game and a school-record 4.1 blocks per game.