UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS TO EL PASO TO TAKE ON NEW MEXICO STATE

• Utah Valley travels to the Lone Star State this week to play WAC foe New Mexico State on Friday and Saturday at Eastwood High School in El Paso. Both games will tip-off at 7 p.m. (MT) and will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network and ESPN 960 AM radio.
   
• Eastwood High School is serving as the home site of New Mexico State basketball games because the state of New Mexico's COVID guidelines do now allow any intercollegiate teams to play games within the state. The Aggies are allowed to practice at their home arena in Las Cruces.
   
• Along with most teams in the  nation and in the WAC, Utah Valley has had numerous issues and cancellations because of the COVID virus. The Wolverines have had several shutdowns and seven of their games canceled this season due to COVID-19.
   
• The Wolverines split a two-game WAC series with Dixie State last week in Orem. In game one of the two-game set, Trey Woodbury scored a team-high 18 points and Evan Cole added 17 points  to lead the Wolverines to an 87-72 win in the inaugural Old Hammer rivalry game. In game two,  Woodbury scored a career-high 27 points and Fardaws Aimaq pulled down a school-record 25 rebounds to go along with 18 points in a 93-89 loss to the Trailblazers.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq has been named to the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award watch list. The Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
   
• Aimaq continues to lead the nation in rebounds per game at 15.5 a contest. He also leads the nation in defensive rebounds per game (10.60) and ranks second in offensive boards per game (4.87). The Vancouver, B.C. native also ranks third nationally with 12 double-doubles.  With 232 total rebounds, Aimaq is already just seven rebounds shy of breaking into the top-10 all-time UVU single season rebounds chart.
   
• Aimaq broke his own school record with a career-high 25 rebounds in the loss to Dixie State on Saturday night. The 25 rebounds are the most boards pulled down in a single game this season nationally

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday and Saturday's games at New Mexico State will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Arizona Plus, Fox Sports Southwest Plus, Fox College Sports Pacific, Fox Sports Go. The game will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. Adam Young will be handling the play-by-play duties. The game will also be broadcast over the radio waves on ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch calling the action and Jason Erickson handling the color commentary duties. A live stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN960Sports.com.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State enters this week's games with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 mark in WAC play. The Aggies relocated to Phoenix to start the season as the team's home state would not allow any basketball activities. The team set up residence in Arizona for several weeks before finally being able to go back home to Las Cruces to practice. The team cannot play games in its home state and had to relocate its home to El Paso, Texas to play its home slate at Eastwood High School. The team most recently split its two-game series at Seattle U, falling 83-72 in game one before defeating the Redhawks, 65-58, in game two on Feb. 13. Clayton Henry had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double and Jabari Rice scored 19 points to lead the Aggies in the win over SU. Johnny McCants helped with 16 points. Rice leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points a game. Donnie Tillman and McCants also average double figures at 11.1 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. As a team, NM State averages 73.2 points a contest, while limiting opponents to a 66.9 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NM STATE
Utah Valley and New Mexico State meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 15th time on Friday night. Utah Valley dropped a heart-breaking 84-82 decision at New Mexico State the last time the two teams met on Feb. 15, 2020 at the Pan Am Center. UVU's last win over the Aggies was an 86-79 victory in Orem on Feb. 15, 2018. The Wolverines hold an all-time 1-6 record against the Aggies in Las Cruces. Utah Valley is the last WAC team to defeat NM State in Las Cruces when the Wolverines pulled off an 84-72 win on Feb. 23, 2017. Since then, NM State has won 24 straight WAC home games. UVU is only one of three WAC teams to have defeated NM State two or more times since the 2016-17 season.

All-Time Results vs. NM State (NMSU leads series, 11-3)
02/15/2020    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 84-82        Las Cruces, N.M.
01/16/2020    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 70-56        Orem, Utah
02/14/2019    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 84-77        Las Cruces, N.M.
01/19/2019    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 83-78        Orem, Utah
02/15/2018    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 86-79        Orem, Utah
01/20/2018    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 86-59        Las Cruces, N.M.
02/23/2017    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 84-72        Las Cruces, N.M.
01/28/2017    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 74-69        Orem, Utah
02/06/2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 98-74        Las Cruces, N.M.
01/07/2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 78-66        Orem, Utah
02/19/2015    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 51-38        Orem, Utah
01/24/2015    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 69-44        Las Cruces, N.M.
02/27/2014    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 66-61 (OT)    Orem, Utah
02/01/2014    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 72-49        Las Cruces, N.M.

AIMAQ EARNS SECOND WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Fardaws Aimaq was named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for February 8 through February 14, the league office announced on Monday. The redshirt sophomore continued to dominate the boards in a home split with Dixie State. Aimaq recorded his 11th double-double of the season in Friday night's 87-72 win, scoring 13 points to go with 13 rebounds and a pair of blocks. On Saturday, he reset his own school record for rebounds in a game with 25 and he added 18 points with three assists, a steal and a block for his 12th double-double of the season. His 25 rebounds are the most boards recorded in a single game in the country. On the season, he leads the nation in rebounding and ranks third in Division I in double-doubles.

WOODBURY NAMED COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
Trey Woodbury was named the College Sports Madness WAC Player of the Week for February 8-14. The junior guard from Las Vegas, Nevada led the Wolverines in scoring at 22.5 points per game in a home split with Dixie State last week. ­Woodbury scored a game-high 18 points with four rebounds, two steals, and two assists in an 87-72 win over Dixie State on Friday night. He followed up that performance with a career-high 27 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in a 93-89 setback on Saturday. Over his two games against Dixie State, Woodbury averaged 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 51.6 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free throw line.

BLAZIN'
Blaze Nield does not turn the ball over. He ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.92. This season, the junior point guard  has only 12 turnovers in 15 games, while dishing out 59 assists.

AIMAQ CLOSING IN ON PAUL MILLSAP'S WAC REBOUNDS PER GAME RECORD
With a full 30 games this season, Fardaws Aimaq would be closing in on numerous rebounds records this season. However, Aimaq is still closing in on Paul Millsap's rebounds per game in a WAC season. Millsap holds the WAC season rebounds per game average at 15.6 per game. Currently, Aimaq averages 16.0 rebounds a game in WAC play.

AIMAQ NAMED TO LOU HENSON PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
Fardaws Aimaq has been named to the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award mid-season watch list.
 
The Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
 
AIMAQ LEADS THE NATION ON THE BOARDS, KEEPING COMPANY WITH SOME OF THE GREATS
Aimaq continues to lead the nation in rebounds per game at 15.5 a contest. He also leads the nation in defensive rebounds per game (10.60) and ranks second in offensive boards per game (4.87). The Vancouver, B.C. native also ranks third nationally with 12 double-doubles.  With 232 total rebounds, Aimaq is already just seven rebounds shy of breaking into the top-10 all-time UVU single season rebounds chart.

A Division I NCAA player has not averaged 15 or more rebounds in a single season since Alcorn State's Larry Smith averaged 15.1 boards in 26 games during the 1979-80 season. Aimaq is in good company.

Rebounds per game chart since the 1985-86 season
        Fardaws Aimaq, Utah Valley    2020-21    15.46
1.    Warren Kidd, Middle Tennessee    1992-93    14.85
2.    Jerome Lambert, Baylor    1993-94    14.79
3.    Tim Duncan, Wake Forest    1996-97    14.74
4.    Shaquille O'Neal, LSU    1990-91    14.68
5.    Kurt Thomas, TCU    1994-95    14.56
6.    Kenneth Faried, Morehead State    2010-11    14.51
7.    Blake Griffin, Oklahoma    2008-09    14.40

DISH MASTERS
Utah Valley ranks fourth in the nation in assists per game, dishing out 18.9 a contest. Individually,  Blaze Nield ranks second nationally in assist turnover ratio at 4.92. Trey Woodbury leads the team in assists at 4.1 a game, followed by Nield at 3.9 helpers per game.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Fardaws Aimaq and Evan Cole each recorded a double-double in the 81-77 win over California Baptist on Jan. 9. Aimaq had 23 points and 16 rebounds while Cole tallied 14 points and 11 boards. The last time Utah Valley had two players recorded a double-double in the same game was on Jan. 7, 2017 when Brandon Randolph (18 points/10 rebounds) and Isaac Neilson (14 points/16 rebounds) each had them. Aimaq and Cole repeated the feat in the 93-92 overtime win at Seattle U on Jan. 15 with Aimaq scoring 29 points with 14 rebounds and Cole scoring 12 points with 11 boards.

AIMAQ BREAKS UVU SINGLE GAME REBOUND RECORD THREE TIMES..... SO FAR
Aimaq's 25 rebounds on Feb. 13 against Dixie State breaks his own previous UVU single game record of 20 rebounds set against Wyoming on Dec. 12 and then again on Jan. 2 at Weber State. Prior to this season, the UVU single game rebound record was held by Baylee Steele (currently playing professionally for Spojnia in Poland), who set the record of 19 at BYU on Nov. 9, 2018.  Aimaq has now recorded 15 or more rebounds in eight of UVU's 15 games this season. He now holds five of the top five marks on the UVU single game rebounds record chart. The 25 rebounds are the most rebounds pulled down in a single game nationally this season.

SO CLOSE
Utah Valley has dropped five of its eight losses this season by single digits. The Wolverines lost by four points to Dixie State,  five points to Wyoming, eight points to Utah, eight points to Weber State, and eight points to Tarleton.

SHOOTING STARS
As a team this season, Utah Valley ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage at a 49.8 percent clip. The Wolverines have three players that rank in the top 82 nationally in individual field goal percentage. Jamison Overton ranks 46th in the nation at a 54.7 percent clip. Fardaws Aimaq is 56th in the nation at 53.6 percent and Trey Woodbury is 82nd at 51.1 percent.