LAS CRUCES, NM. – Utah Valley was unable a second-half deficit as they fell 84-77 on the road to New Mexico State. The Wolverines drop to 16-8 on the year, including 5-4 in conference play. The Aggies improved to 21-4 on the year and conference-leading 10-1 record in the WAC.
 
After falling behind 5-2 early, Wyatt Lowell hit back-to-back threes during a 9-1 run to give the Wolverines an 11-6 lead with 14:09 left in the opening half. The Aggies responded with a 21-7 run over the next six minutes to take a 27-18 advantage. Utah Valley answered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 27-24 and both teams would exchange baskets for the remainder of the half. Lowell hit another three with 18 seconds left to bring the Wolverines to within two points as they trailed 37-39 at the break.
 
New Mexico State opened the second half on a 7-0 surge to push their lead to 46-37 with 16:30 left in the game. After exchanging baskets, the Wolverines used an 11-2 run to cut the lead down to 56-52 with 9:53 to go in the contest. The Aggies then responded with an 9-2 run of their own to push the lead back out to 65-54 and Utah Valley was not able to overcome the deficit. The Wolverines would get as close as seven points in the final moments but ended up falling 84-77.
 
Utah Valley shot 45.8 percent from the field, connecting on 11 shots from downtown. The Wolverines were outrebounded 35-31 and New Mexico State converted that into a 15-5 edge in fast break points.
 
Ben Nakwaasah led the Wolverines with 18 points on a 4-8 clip from beyond the arc. Baylee Steele recorded his third-straight double-double, finishing with 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Lowell finished with 12 points on four shots from distance while TJ Washington joined them in double figures with 10 points and a team-leading four assists.
 
Utah Valley continues on the road as they travel to Edinburg, TX to take on UT Rio Grande Valley. Tip is set for Feb. 16 at 6:00pm MT and will be broadcasted on the WAC Digital Network and ESPN 960AM.