SEATTLE, Wash. – Fardaws Aimaq and Le'Tre Darthard led Utah Valley as Utah Valley dominated Washington, 68-52, on the road to close out its non-conference season. UVU led for 35 minutes and held UW without a three pointer, marking the first time the Wolverines have held an opponent without a three pointer since 2007. The win over the Huskies marks just the third Utah Valley win over a P6 team in school history and first since 2010. 
 
The Wolverines head into WAC play with a 9-3 record, its best 12-game start to a season in school history. The Huskies fall to 5-5 on the year.
 
"I was really proud of our guys," said Utah Valley men's basketball head coach Mark Madsen. "We've had a lot of guys that have been battling illness and for our guys to go out there and battle, I was really proud of our guys gutted it out and got it done. It's easy to coach when you have great players and I'm happy for our players."
 
Following a layup by the Huskies, Le'Tre Darthard hit a corner three to spark a 10-2 run by the Wolverines, giving UVU a 10-4 lead with 15:53 to go in the first half. Washington chipped away at the lead, using a 10-4 run to tie the game up at 14-14 with 11:40 to go in the half. Tim Ceaser hit a three from the corner to put Utah Valley back and the Wolverines held Washington without a field goal for seven minutes, extending the lead to 23-16 with 4:53 remaining in the opening half. The Huskies ripped off a 9-0 run to retake the lead, 25-23, with 2:06 to go in the half. Tim Fuller and Trey Farrer hit a pair of layups and Connor Harding hit a three as UVU closed the half on a 7-4 run, taking a 30-27 lead into the half.
 
Aimaq helped Utah Valley off to a quick start as the Wolverines extended its lead to 35-27 three minutes into the second half. Washington used an 8-4 run to cut the lead down to 39-35, but Darthard hit a pair of threes to spark a 15-4 surge to put UVU up, 54-39, with 7:49 to go in the game. The Huskies made a final push, cutting the lead to 56-47, but Ceaser hit another corner three and Aimaq hit seven free throws down the stretch to ice the game, giving the Wolverines the 68-52 victory.
 
Aimaq dominated in the second half, finishing with his NCAA-leading 10^th double-double. Aimaq tallied 15 points to go along with 15 rebounds, climbing into fourth all-time in rebounds in UVU history. Darthard followed up his career high with a team-high 16 points on 3-5 from downtown. Darthard saw his streak of 22-straight made free throws come to an end before making three straight foul shots.
 
Fuller chipped in 10 points and six rebounds while Blaze Nield added eight points and a game-high five assists. Ceaser tallied 10 points off the bench on 4-5 from the field and a pair of triples.
 
The Wolverines shot 44 percent from the field, including 8 of 22 from deep, and 14 of 19 from the charity stripe. UVU limited UW to just 35 percent from the floor and 0-for-11 from downtown, marking the first time the Huskies have failed to make a three since 2019. Utah Valley won the rebounding battle, 44-26, leading to a 15-9 advantage in second-chance points. The Wolverines dished out 12 assists while limiting Washington to just two assists.  
 
The Wolverines return home for a three-game home stand to open up WAC play, starting with a matchup with conference-newcomer Abilene Christian on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 6:00 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and ESPN 960 AM. Utah Valley then hosts Tarleton on Saturday, Jan. 1 in the UCCU Center. Tickets are available for purchase at GoUVU.com/Mbbtix.