OPENING TIP
Utah Valley University carries a five-game win streak into its first road trip of the WAC schedule beginning Thursday at reigning conference champion New Mexico State. Tip is set for Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. MT from the Pan American Center. The Wolverines (6-9, 3-0) are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in WAC play, with CSU Bakersfield sitting at 2-0.

All five wins during the current streak came at home, including last Saturday's 70-58 win ove Seattle U. Maria Carvalho scored a career-best 19 points for the second straight game to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists. Jordan Holland had 15 points and Josie Williams finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

During the streak, UVU has outscoring opponents by over 24 points and limiting them to just 51.2 points per game on 29.5% shooting. The Wolverines lead the WAC in scoring defense at 63.0 points allowed per game.

The Wolverines have gone 42-for-44 from the free-throw line over the last two games, including making all 22 against Kansas City on Jan. 4. The team made 32 straight from the start of the KC game until the second half against Seattle U. UVU leads the WAC from the line as a team, having made 75.8% on the season. 

ABOUT THE AGGIES
New Mexico State saw Kansas City rally late to hand the Aggies their first WAC loss, 56-52, on Sunday in Missouri. The Aggies were picked to win what would be their sixth straight WAC regular season title by both the coaches and media in the preseason, with the coaches also selecting NM State's Gia Pack as its Preseason Player of the Year. Pack is currently second in scoring among all WAC players at 17.1 per contest. The Aggies own a 13-2 all-time record against Utah Valley and have won 11 straight in the series. The Wolverines have not defeated New Mexico State since the 2014 season, an 87-81 win in Las Cruces. NM State has not lost a conference home game since the 2015-16 season, a string of 23 straight games. 

COMING UP
The Wolverines will fact the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT/noon MT to wrap up the current road trip. UVU returns home next week to host CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon.