UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS TO FARGO TO TAKE ON NORTH DAKOTA STATE IN SUMMIT LEAGUE/WAC CHALLENGE GAME
After dropping a 74-68 decision to Lamar at home on Thursday night, Utah Valley travels to Fargo, North Dakota to open a three-game road swing against North Dakota State on Saturday at the Scheels Center. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. (MT).

Cavit Ege Havsa scored a team-high 12 points and Casdon Jardine tallied an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley in a 74-68 loss to Lamar on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. TJ Washington, Brandon Averette, and Olojakpoke each had 10 points. Olojakpoke also added seven rebounds and four blocks in the effort. Trey Woodbury added nine points and Jamison Overton had six. Woodbury also pulled down eight boards. As a team, UVU shot 38 percent from the field (22-of-58) and 30 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-27). UVU outrebounded Lamar 41-39 and had seven blocks to LU's five.

Utah Valley continues to lead the nation in blocks with 44. The Wolverines also rank fifth in blocks per game at 7.3 a contest. Individually, Emmanuel Olojakpoke leads the nation with 20 blocks on the season. He also ranks 12th in blocks per game at 3.33.

With its loss to Lamar at the UCCU Center on Thursday night, Utah Valley's home win streak came to an end at eight games. The eight-game home win streak was the nation's 11th-longest home win streak in the nation. UVU has won 33 of its last 36 games at home.

Junior transfer guard Brandon Averette was named College Sports Madness WAC Player of the Week for his play in a pair of wins over Ottawa and UAB last week. Over the two wins, Averette averaged 17.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 assists. He shot a 53.8 percent (14-of-26) clip from the field and knocked down an impressive 4-of-7 shots from three-point range. He also was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.

Utah Valley returns just two starters and letterwinners from last year's squad that finished the season with a school-record 25 wins and a third-straight appearance at the College Basketball Invitational. Returning starters Isaiah White and TJ Washington are back after combining to score an average of 16.2 points per game last season. The Wolverines return just 21 percent of its scoring from a season ago.

Utah Valley welcomes 10 new players to its roster this season, including Brandon Averette, Casdon Jardine, and Cavit Ege Havsa, who each had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. The Wolverines have added five new transfers (JJ Overton, Emmanuel Olojakpoke, Brandon Morley, Trey Woodbury) to this year's roster. Fardaws Aimaq (Mercer) also joins the team but will have to sit out and redshirt this season. UVU welcomes two true freshmen to the team in Travis Wagstaff and Lewis Johnson.

Mark Madsen enters his first season as the head coach of the Wolverines. The two-time NBA champion, former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach, and former Stanford University basketball star makes his debut season as a head coach. He is just the third head coach in UVU's Division I history. Madsen takes over the Utah Valley program after serving the past six seasons as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a two-time NBA champion as a player with the Lakers (2001 and 2002), and he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for six seasons.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday night's game at North Dakota State will be broadcast live on ESPN3, which is available at www.espn.com/watch. Brian Shawn and Greg Stemen will be on the call. The game will also be broadcast over the radio waves as Jim McCulloch enters his 10th season as the Voice of the Wolverines. Jason Erickson will be handling the color commentary duties on the radio. The radio broadcast will be aired live on ESPN 960AM radio. A live stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN960Sports.com.

SUMMIT LEAGUE/WAC CHALLENGE
Saturday night's game at North Dakota State will be part of the Summit League/WAC Challenge. It marks the second-straight season that the two leagues have participated in the event. Utah Valley defeated Denver, 98-75, in last season's Summit League/WAC Challenge game. The WAC won the event last year with a 6-3 record against the league.

Summit League/WAC Challenge Games
Nov. 9    South Dakota State def. CSU Bakersfield, 93-91 (2OT)
Nov. 23    Utah Valley at North Dakota State
Nov. 27    South Dakota at California Baptist
Nov. 30    Western Illinois at Kansas City
Nov. 30    Fort Wayne at Grand Canyon
Dec. 10    New Mexico State at Denver
Dec. 15    UT Rio Grande Valley at Omaha
Dec. 17    Oral Roberts at Chicago State

ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State has won four Summit League Tournament crowns in 11 seasons as a full member of the league -- 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2019. In 2009, 2014 and 2015, the Bison also won the regular season conference title. The team enters Saturday's matchup against UVU with a 4-2 record. The team dropped its season opener at Kansas State before winning four straight. The Bison most recently dropped a 64-57 decision to Stony Brook at the Islander Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas. Senior guards Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward lead the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. Ward also leads the team on the boards, pulling down 6.5 rebounds a game. As a team, NDSU is averaging 68.5 points a contest while limiting opponents to a 61.0 points per game mark. The team averages 8.2 three-pointers a game at a 31 percent clip. The team is outrebounding opponents by an average of 6.2 rebounds a game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Saturday's game against North Dakota State will mark the ninth time the two schools have met on the basketball hardwood. NDSU leads the all-time series 5-3. Saturday's matchup will mark the fifth time the two teams have met in Fargo with the Bison holding a perfect 4-0 record against UVU. The two teams last met on Dec. 23, 2013 in Orem with the NDSU taking a 74-70 victory. Three of the eight games in the series have been decided by four points or less. The Bison are 12-3 in its last 15 home games at the SHAC. Two of the three losses came on three-pointers in the final second.

All-Time Results vs. North Dakota State (NDSU leads 5-3)
Jan. 05, 2006    North Dakota State def. Utah Valley, 61-52    Fargo, North Dakota
Jan. 19, 2006    Utah Valley def. North Dakota State, 67-65    Orem, Utah
Jan. 27, 2007    North Dakota State def. Utah Valley, 61-53    Fargo, North Dakota
Feb. 15, 2007    Utah Valley def. North Dakota State, 66-64    Orem, Utah
Jan. 20, 2009    North Dakota State def. Utah Valley, 98-71    Fargo, North Dakota
Nov. 13, 2009    Utah Valley def. North Dakota State, 80-72    Orem, Utah
Feb. 26, 2013    North Dakota State def. Utah Valley, 63-56    Fargo, North Dakota
Dec. 23, 2013    North Dakota State def. Utah Valley, 74-70    Orem, Utah

LAST TIME VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (NDSU 74, UVU 70 - 12/23/13 - Orem, Utah)
OREM, Utah - Despite a big night from its backcourt, Utah Valley University fell just short against North Dakota State, 74-70, on Dec. 23, 2013 at the UCCU Center.

The Wolverines (5-7) were led by Holton Hunsaker's game-high 22 points. Keawe Enos scored 14 and Hayes Garrity chipped in 13. Taylor Braun led the Bison (10-4) with 20 points, scoring 14 of his points on 16 free-throw attempts. Lawrence Alexander scored 19 for NDSU, the team picked to win the Summit League, on 7-for-8 shooting including 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Hunsaker started the game 4-for-4 from the field (hitting three 3-pointers) and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 14 of the team's first 16 points. After Mitch Bruneel knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner, UVU led 19-12 at the 12-minute mark of the first half.

UVU trailed 68-67 and had possession of the baskeball but Braun came up with a big steal and layup on the other end to push the Bison lead to three with 3:18 on the clock. TrayVonn Wright followed with a jumper at the two-minute mark to extend the NDSU advantage to 72-67.

WASHINGTON FEATURED MONDAY NIGHT ON ESPN'S TOP-10 PLAYS
Utah Valley senior guard scored a career-high 22 points with five threes in Monday night's loss at No. 9 Kentucky. A shot fake from beyond the arc that made his opponent fly through the air, and then the drive and finish at the basket was featured as the No. 10 play on Monday night on ESPN SportsCenter's Top-10 plays of the night. Washington helped lead UVU's comeback after being down 16 points to cutting the lead to just one point, 67-66, with 3:26 to play.

AVERETTE NAMED COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Valley junior guard Brandon Averette has been named the College Sports Madness WAC Player of the Week for his performance in a pair of wins over Ottawa and UAB last week.
 
Averette scored 17 points in UVU's 101-70 win over Ottawa on Tuesday night at the UCCU Center. The Richardson, Texas native knocked down 7-of-9 shots from the field, including a 1-of-2 clip from beyond the arc. He was also a perfect 2-for-2 at the charity stripe and tallied a pair of blocks.
 
Averette followed up his performance against Ottawa with an 18-point, four-rebound effort in UVU's 66-55 road win at UAB on Friday night. He connected on seven shots from the field, including three shots from long range. He also tallied one assist and a steal in the win.
 
On the week, Averette averaged 17.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 assists. He shot a 53.8 percent (14-of-26) clip from the field and knocked down an impressive 4-of-7 shots from three-point range. He also was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
 
HOME WIN STREAK ENDS WITH LOSS TO LAMAR
Cavit Ege Havsa scored a team-high 12 points and Casdon Jardine tallied an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead Utah Valley in a 74-68 loss to Lamar on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
 
The loss ends Utah Valley's home win streak at eight games, which was the 11th-best mark in the country. Utah Valley falls to 3-3 on the season, while Lamar improves to 4-1.
 
"We've kind of been hit by the injury bug and we're down to six or seven scholarship players now," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen. "Right now, we just don't have the bodies we need. I was very proud of how we fought with the limited number of guys we have available right now."
 
After falling behind 6-0 through the first four minutes of the game, Utah Valley went on a 14-0 run capped off by a Jardine three-pointer over the next two minutes to jump out to a 14-6 lead with 12:36 remaining in the first half. The Wolverines held on to their eight-point lead over the next seven minutes before Lamar went on an 11-3 run capped off by a shot from long range to tie the game, 29-29, with 1:47 to go in the first half. The Wolverines took a 34-33 lead into the break.
 
Lamar scored seven of the first nine points of the second half to take a 40-36 lead at the 17:30 mark. The Cardinals then took their biggest lead of the game, 58-46, with 8:21 minutes to play. Back-to-back Emmanuel Olojakpoke dunks started an 8-3 run that cut the LU lead to five points, 61-56, with 5:52 remaining. Lamar would extend its lead to eight points, 68-60, with 2:46 to go. Havsa then knocked down a three and Olojakpoke put back a shot in the paint to get within striking distance, 68-65, with 39 seconds to play. The Wolverines couldn't get any closer than three points the rest of the way as Lamar secured a 74-68 win.
 
Havsa scored his 12 points on a 4-of-6 clip from the field, including a 1-of-3 mark from long range. He also knocked down 3-of-4 free throws. He also dished out a pair of assists.
 
Jardine recorded his double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He connected on a 4-of-7 clip from the field, including a 3-of-5 mark from long range. TJ Washington, Brandon Averette, and Olojakpoke each had 10 points. Olojakpoke also added seven rebounds and four blocks in the effort. Trey Woodbury added nine points and Jamison Overton had six. Woodbury also pulled down eight boards.
 
As a team, UVU shot 38 percent from the field (22-of-58) and 30 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-27). UVU outrebounded Lamar 41-39 and had seven blocks to LU's five.

COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT IN LOSS AT KENTUCKY, 82-74
Utah Valley's comeback bid fell just short as the Wolverines dropped a hard-fought 82-74 contest on the road against No. 9 Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington on Monday night.
 
Utah Valley (3-2) took an early 6-5 lead to start a back-and-forth first half. Neither team held a lead larger than eight points as the opening half featured 12 lead changes. After the Wolverines tied it up at 20-20, the Wildcats ended the half with a 15-7 charge to take a 35-27 lead into the half. All three big men for UVU found themselves in foul trouble with three fouls each as Kentucky crashed the boards, outrebounding the Wolverines, and taking a 14-1 advantage in made free throws into the break.
 
The Wildcats came out hot to start the second half, using a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 28-44 with 17 minutes to go in the game. UVU responded with an 8-2 run over the next two minutes, led by Emmanuel Olojakpoke and Trey Woodbury to bring the deficit to 36-46. Both teams exchanged buckets over the next six minutes, with TJ Washington hitting three straight shots from deep to keep the Wolverines within striking distance. Washington and Jamison Overton led the charge as UVU used a 17-6 surge to cut the lead to just two points, 58-60, with 6:45 left in the game. A layup by Brandon Averette followed by another three by Washington cut the lead to one, 67-68, with 3:26 to go but a 7-0 run gave the Wildcats control of the game for good. Kentucky made free throws down the stretch to seal the 82-74 win.
 
Utah Valley finished 26-of-64 from the field, knocking down a season-high 11 shots from downtown. The Wolverines held the Wildcats to a season-low 1-of-12 from three, but Kentucky's 31-of-34 mark from the foul line proved to be the difference in the game. UVU added another five blocks to bring their season total to a nation-leading 39 on the year. The Wolverines were outrebounded 27-46 but forced 14 Wildcat turnovers. UVU took care of the ball, limiting an active Kentucky team to only seven takeaways, the lowest number of turnovers by the Wolverines in a game in the last five years.

"I'm proud of our team," said Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen. "I was proud of TJ (Washington) and every single man in that locker room because at one point we were down I think 16 points in the second half with about 17 or 18 minutes left in the game and these guys battled, they scrapped and that's kind of a mantra on our team. Scrappiness, toughness, intensity no matter who we're playing and I think you guys saw that tonight. I was really pleased with our guys. Obviously, we put the Wildcats at the free throw line too much and we didn't get to the line enough. Overall, it was a great game and every player contributed."

Washington led the Wolverines with 22 points, including five made threes, to go along with a team-high five assists and five rebounds. Woodbury added 17 points on three shots from deep and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and Overton also scored in double figures with 10 points.

OLOJAKPOKE, UVU LEAD NATION IN BLOCKS 
As of Nov. 22, Utah Valley leads the nation with 44 blocks this season. The Wolverines also rank fifth in the nation in blocks per game at 7.3 a game. Emmanuel Olojakpoke leads the nation in blocks with 20 blocks. He also ranks 12th in the nation in blocks per game at 3.33 a contest.

BBN SHOWCASE
Utah Valley will wrap up BBN Showcase play on Tuesday at Mount St. Mary's. The Wolverines opened the Multi-Tournament Event with a win at UAB. The team then dropped a road game at No. 9 Kentucky and a home game to Lamar.

BLOCK PARTY
Utah Valley's 11 blocks in its 72-55 win over Westminster is the second-most blocks in a single game in UVU history. Brandon Morley and Emmanuel Olojakpoke each had five blocks, which ranks 10th on the UVU individual single game record charts. The 11 blocks are the most blocks in a single game since UVU recorded 11 blocks in a win over Chicago State on Jan. 12, 2017. The all-time UVU single game record for blocks is 12 set by the 2012-13 team in a win over NJIT on Jan. 5, 2013.

HOME WINS STREAK ENDS AT EIGHT
Utah Valley held one of the nation's best win streaks at eight games. Lamar ended the streak with a 74-68 win over the Wolverines on Nov. 21. At the time of the loss, UVU's eight-game home win streak was the 11th-best win streak in the nation.

UTAH VALLEY HAS WON 33 OF ITS LAST 36 GAMES AT HOME
Utah Valley won a school-record 22 straight games at home dating from a win over UTSA on Nov. 29, 2017 to a win over UTRGV on Jan. 17, 2019.  The previous UVU home win streak record was 17 games, which was set from the 2004-05 season to the 2005-06 season. UVU holds an impressive 32-3 (91.4 percent) record at home since a win over Seattle U on March 4, 2017. Utah Valley holds an all-time 182-48 (79.1 percent) record in its 14th season this season at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines are averaging 13.7 wins a season on their home hardwood. UVU finished the 2018-19 season with a school-record 16-1 mark. The team went 14-1 at home during the 2017-18 season. UVU is 2-1 at home this season.

UVU HOLDS BEST RECORD AMONG DIVISION I TEAMS IN THE STATE OF UTAH OVER THE PAST TWO SEASONS
Utah Valley holds the best record among Division I teams in the state of Utah over the past two seasons.

In-State School Records over Last Two Seasons (2017-18 & 2018-19)
1.    Utah Valley    48-21  (.696)
2.    Utah State    45-24  (.652)
3.    BYU        43-24  (.641)
4.    Utah        40-26  (.606)
5.    Weber State    38-26  (.593)
6.    Southern Utah    30-36  (.454)

THREE-POINT STREAKING
Utah Valley has now hit a three-point field goal in 138 straight games. The last time UVU played in a game without hitting a shot from beyond the arc was on Feb. 7, 2015 at Seattle U.