UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS TO PLAY CSU BAKERSFIELD ON THURSDAY NIGHT
After snapping a three-game skid last week with a win over UT Rio Grande Valley, Utah Valley heads out on the road this week to take on CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. The Wolverines will take on CSUB on Thursday night at 8 p.m. (MT) before playing GCU on Saturday at 6 p.m. (MT).

TJ Washington drove to the basket and dished off to Isaiah White who then knocked down the game winner with 1.3 seconds left of the clock to lift Utah Valley to a 72-70 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. Washington scored a game-high 25 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Jamison Overton scored 16 points with  eight rebounds and had two assists. White finished with nine points to go along with eight rebounds and one assist. Emmanuel Olojakpoke scored seven points with six rebounds and five blocks.
 
As of Jan. 21, Utah Valley ranks 10th in the nation in blocks with 108 swats. The Wolverines also rank 18th nationally in blocks per game at 5.4 a contest. Individually, Emmanuel Olojakpoke ranks fifth nationally with 56 blocks. He also ranks 17th in blocks per game at 2.80. With 56 blocks already this season, Olojakpoke is on track to break the all-time UVU single season blocks record of 72 set by Akolda Manyang during the 2017-18 season.

Utah Valley has played 10 games this season that have been decided by six points or less. UVU has won three of those games--a six-point 68-62 win at North Dakota State, a two-point 69-67 win at Wyoming, and a two-point win over UTRGV.  The Wolverines have dropped seven of its 12 losses this season by just six points or less. UVU has dropped five of its last 10 games by five points or less, including a three-point loss at Mount St. Mary's, a five-point loss to Weber State, a one-point loss at Southern Utah, a three-point loss at Long Beach State, and a five-point setback at Kansas City. In six of UVU's 12 losses, the Wolverines had a lead/tie in the last five minutes of the game. At Kentucky, UVU was down by just one point with three minutes to play.

Junior forward Isaiah White leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.4 points per game. Senior TJ Washington is second at 13.3 points a game, followed by Brandon Averette at 12.2 and Casdon Jardine at 10.8. White also leads the team on the boards at 8.7 rebounds per game, while Emmanuel Olojakpoke leads the WAC and ranks fifth in the nation with 56 blocks this season.

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
Thursday night's game at CSU Bakersfield will be broadcast live on ESPN3, which is available at ESPN.com/Watch. 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.

ABOUT CSU BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield enters Thursday night's game against the Wolverines with a 9-10 overall record and a 3-1 mark in WAC play. The team swept a pair of WAC road games last week with a 74-64 overtime win at Kansas City and a 72-54 win at Chicago State. The 'Runners now return home to the Icardo Center where the team holds a 6-4 record this season. CSUB's lone blemish in WAC play was an 83-75 setback at home to California Baptist. Redshirt junior forward Greg Lee and redshirt junior guard Cam Allen each scored 19 points to lead the 'Runners to the 72-54 win at Chicago State on Sunday. As a team, CSUB shot an impressive 51 percent from the field, including a 41.7 percent mark from long range. Redshirt junior guard Taze Moore leads the team in scoring this season at 11.2 points per game. Redshirt junior De'Monte Buckingham also averages double figures at 10.4 points per game. Buckingham also leads the team on the boards, pulling down a team-best 4.4 rebounds a game. As a team, CSUB is averaging 72.2 points a game while limiting opponents to a 68.9 average. The 'Runners are outbebounding its opponents by a margin of 9.0 boards a game. This season marks the final season the 'Runners will spend in the WAC as the team is moving to the Big West Conference next season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSUB
Utah Valley and CSU Bakersfield meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 24th time on Thursday night. Utah Valley has taken four of the last five contests between the two teams, including a 76-61 win in Orem last season. The Wolverines dropped a buzzer-beating stunner, 73-71, the last time the team played in Bakersfield on Jan. 5, 2019. CSUB holds an all-time 7-3 record against UVU in games played in Bakersfield. UVU's last win in the Icardo Center came on Feb. 22, 2018 with UVU taking a 70-47 win.

Last Five Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads 13-10)
March 9, 2019    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 76-61        Orem, Utah
Jan. 5, 2019    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 73-71        Bakersfield, Calif.
March 8, 2018    #2 Utah Valley def. #7 CSU Bakersfield, 81-74    Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb. 22, 2018    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 70-47        Bakersfield, Calif.
Jan. 06, 2018    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 75-42        Orem, Utah

OLOJAKPOKE RANKS FIFTH NATIONALLY IN TOTAL LOCKS
As of Jan. 21, Utah Valley ranks 10th in the nation in blocks with 108 swats. The Wolverines also rank 18th nationally in blocks per game at 5.4 a contest. Individually, Emmanuel Olojakpoke ranks fifth nationally with 56 blocks. He also ranks 17th in blocks per game at 2.80. With 56 blocks already this season, Olojakpoke is on track to break the all-time UVU single season blocks record of 72 set by Akolda Manyang during the 2017-18 season.

UP UP AND AWAY
Utah Valley has played 11 of its last 17 games on the road, traveling over 12,000 miles through the air in the process. The Wolverines have played 12 of their 20 games on the road this season. UVU will play five of its first seven WAC games on the road.

LIVING ON THE EDGE
Utah Valley has played 10 games this season that have been decided by six points or less. UVU won three of those games--a six-point 68-62 win at North Dakota State, a two-point 69-67 win at Wyoming, and a two-point 72-70 win over UTRGV.  The Wolverines have dropped seven of its 12 losses this season by just six points or less. UVU has dropped five of its last 10 games by five points or less, including a three-point loss at Mount St. Mary's, a five-point loss to Weber State, a one-point loss at Southern Utah, a three-point loss at Long Beach State, and a five-point setback at Kansas City. In six of UVU's 12 losses, the Wolverines had a lead/tie in the last five minutes of the game. At Kentucky, UVU was down by just one point with three minutes to play.

THE OLO JA POKEY, THAT'S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT
Utah Valley senior forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke is one of the nation's leaders in total blocks at 56. His 56 blocks already ranks tied for second on the UVU single season record chart. He needs just 16 more blocks to break Akolda Manyang's record of 71 set during the 2017-18 season. Olojakpoke currently holds the best single season field goal percentage mark in UVU history at 72.1 percent. He has knocked down 44 of 61 shots this season. The mark would break Connor MacDougall's record of 68.3 percent set during the 2018-19 season.