FARGO, ND. – TJ Washington scored a career-high 26 points and
Brandon Averette added 16 to lead the Wolverines past North Dakota State on the road, 68-62. Utah Valley improved to 4-3 on the year with the win as the Bison drop to 4-3 on the season.
"Our guys did a great job of opening up a huge lead for us in the first half," said Utah Valley head coach
Mark Madsen. "But to get to that next level of where we want to be that we have to learn how to put teams away. I was really proud of our guys. Every single player was sound defensively and contributed."
The Wolverines scored the on their first possession of the game before the Bison used a 13-4 run to take a 13-6 lead with 12:01 to go in the half.
Trey Woodbury made an and-one layup to quick start a 14-0 UVU run over the next four minutes to jump out to a 20-13 advantage. The teams battled back-and-forth before the Wolverines held North Dakota State without a field goal for the final six minutes of the half as part of an 11-4 run to take a 33-24 lead into the break.
After a basket by the Bison to start to the half, the Wolverines went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 41-26 with 16:49 to go in the game. North Dakota cut into the lead with a 12-4 run to make it 45-38 with 13:17 go in the game. UVU extended their lead to 57-42 with a 12-4 run, led by Washington and
Brandon Averette. North Dakota State responded with a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 59-56 with 5:11 to go in the game. Washington hit a step-back three and Woodbury and
Casdon Jardine each hit a couple of clutch free throws to seal the 68-62 win.
The Wolverines shot 49 percent for the game, finishing 28-of-57 from the field, while holding the Bison to just 40 percent from the field. Utah Valley shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line, its first game without a miss from the charity strip since they went 17-of-17 against Chicago State on Jan. 23, 2016. UVU dominated the paint, outscoring North Dakota State 44-30.
Washington finished the game 12-of-17 from the field to go along with a career-high nine rebounds. Averette added 16 points while Woodbury and Jardine chipped in nine points apiece.
Utah Valley wraps up the BBN Showcase on the road at Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 26. Tip is set for 5 p.m. MT and will be broadcasted on NEC Frontrow and ESPN960 AM. The Wolverines then wrap up their road trip at Colorado State on Dec. 1 before returning home to take on in-state rival Weber State on Dec. 4 in the UCCU Center.
