SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – Fardaws Aimaq notched another double-double as Utah Valley dominated Idaho from start to finish, 83-45, in the SoCal Challenge to extend its winning streak to four games. The Wolverines advance to the championship game of the Sand Bracket against Nicholls State on Wednesday.
Utah Valley improves to 4-1, which is the team's best five-game start since the 2015-16 season.
Connor Harding got the scoring started with a three on the opening possession. After a driving layup by the Vandals, Utah Valley held Idaho scoreless for the next seven minutes as the Wolverines ripped off a Madsen-era-best 23-0 run to go up 28-2 with under 11 minutes to play in the first half. Idaho was able to trim the lead down to 34-13, but Aimaq led an 8-0 run to push the lead back out to 42-13 with 3:22 to go in the opening half. UVU was able to coast to the break, taking a 46-21 advantage into halftime.
After both teams went back and forth to start the second half, the Vandals used an 8-0 run to trim the lead down to 63-41 with 8:51 to go in the game. That would be the closest Idaho would get the rest of the way as the Wolverines outscored the Vandals 20-4 the rest of the way to finish off the win, 83-45.
Aimaq led the Wolverines with 14 points to go along with 16 rebounds. Harding scored 14 points, on 6 of 10 shooting and 2 of 3 from deep, to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Blaze Nield had seven points and a team-high five assists and Fuller chipped in a career-high 11 points, on 5 of 6 shooting, and four rebounds. Harmon tallied 10 points off the bench to go along with five rebounds, while
Tim Ceaser collected a season-high eight rebounds.
Utah Valley shot 47 percent from the field, limiting Idaho to a season-low 25 percent from the floor. The Wolverines also held the Vandals to just 3 of 24 from downtown as Idaho shot a season-worst 13 percent from beyond the arc. UVU dominated the battle on the boards, 55-29, which led to a 23-4 advantage in second-chance points. Utah Valley took advantage of 19 Idaho turnovers, converting those takeaways into 28 points. The Wolverines also outgained the Vandals 58-18 in the paint and led by as many as 40 points in the second half. The 38-point win is the largest of the Madsen era and the largest since a 97-57 win over Chicago State on Feb. 8, 2018.
The Wolverines wrap up the SoCal Challenge with the championship game against Nicholls State on Wednesday, Nov. 24. The game is set to tip at 3:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcasted on FloHoops and ESPN 960 AM. Utah Valley then heads home for a matchup with Denver on Saturday. Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. MT, in the UCCU Center.
