UTAH VALLEY SET TO TAKE ON UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE LONE STAR STATE
The Wolverines continue road play this week as the team travels to the Lone Star State to take on UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night at UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (MST)

After a 15-day hiatus, Utah Valley dropped an 84-77 decision on the road to New Mexico State. 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 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.

Jake Toolson tied the UVU record for consecutive free throws made as he successfully made his 41st straight shot from the charity stripe against New Mexico State on Jan. 19. He tied Holton Hunsaker's streak of 41 set during the 2011-12 season. Toolson then missed what would have been his 42nd straight free throw as he finished the NM State game with a 2-of-3 clip at the charity stripe. Toolson leads the WAC with an 88.9 percent mark (56-of-63) from the free throw line this season. He ranks 30th nationally at the line. He has knocked down 55 of his last 59 free throws.
 
Jake Toolson leads Utah Valley in scoring at 16.1 points per game, followed by Conner Toolson at 12.6 points a contest. The Toolson duo has scored nearly 40 percent of UVU's points this season. Jake has been impressive from the floor, shooting 56.3 percent (135-of-240), including a team-best 46.9 percent (46-of-98) clip from three-point range. He also leads UVU with an 87.5 percent (70-of-80) clip from the free throw line. Baylee Steele leads UVU on the boards, pulling down 7.1 rebounds a game, while TJ Washington leads the team in assists at 4.0 a game.

Utah Valley ranks in the top-50 in two statistical team categories and two individual categories. The Wolverines rank 17th in field-goal percentage (48.7) and 40th in three-point field goal percentage (37.7). Jake Toolson individually ranks in the top-50 in two categories. He ranks 34th nationally in free throw percentage (87.5) and 41st in field goal percentage (56.3). According to KenPom.com, Toolson ranks eighth in the nation in true shooting percentage (69.8) and 21st nationally in effective field goal percentage (65.5). 

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at UT Rio Grande Valley will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/watch.  The game will also be broadcast over the radio waves as Jim McCulloch enters his ninth 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.

ABOUT UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
UTRGV enters Saturday night's game against Utah Valley with an overall record of 15-12. The team has won five straight WAC games dating back to a 77-46 win over Chicago State on Jan. 31. With its 59-44 win over Seattle U on Thursday night, the Vaqueros now hold a 7-4 record in league play. The five-game win streak is the team's longest win streak in 11 years. In the win over the Redhawks, junior Jordan Jackson scored a team-high 14 points with two steals. Sophomore Greg Bowie II scored 12 points. Junior Lesley Varner II finished with seven points, seven rebounds and two steals. UTRGV forced 25 turnovers, marking the eighth time the team has forced at least 20 turnovers and the third-highest total of the season. UTRGV scored 25 points off of turnovers. UTRGV finished with 14 steals, its second-highest total of the season. Redshirt senior center Terry Winn III leads the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. Varner II also averages double figures at 11.0 points a contest. He also leads the Vaqueros on the boards at 5.4 rebounds per game. As a team, UTRGV averages 68.7 points per game while limiting opponents to a 68.4 points a contest.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UTRGV
Utah Valley and UTRGV meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 28th time on Saturday night. UVU holds a
24-3 all-time advantage in the series dating back to 2005. UVU swept the WAC series last year, defeating UTRGV
84-76 in Texas and 84-72 in Orem. With its 82-61 win over the Vaqueros on Jan. 17 in Orem, UVU has won 13 straight games over UTRGV. UVU's last loss to UTRGV was a 62-60 setback in Texas on Jan. 19, 2013. The Wolverines hold an all-time 10-2 record against UTRGV in games played in Edinburg.

All-Time Results vs. UTRGV (UVU leads 24-3)
Jan. 17, 2019    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 82-61        Orem, Utah
Feb. 17, 2018      Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 84-72         Orem, Utah
Jan. 18, 2018     Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 84-76         Edinburg, Texas
Feb. 25, 2017     Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 88-68         Edinburg, Texas
Jan. 26, 2017     Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 92-81         Orem, Utah