CHICAGO, Ill. – Six Wolverines scored in double-figures as Utah Valley knocked off Chicago State, 101-87, on the road at the Jones Convocation Center on Thursday night in the Windy City. Every player that played for the Wolverines scored as UVU had an historic night shooting the ball. Utah Valley shot 69.1 percent from the field, its best percentage since 2014, and 72.7 percent from deep, its best clip since 2007.
 
Utah Valley has now won three straight and improves to 14-6 on the season, including 5-3 in WAC play. The Cougars drop to 6-14 on the year and 2-5 in conference play.
 
"There was a lot of unselfish play and concentration out there and I'm impressed that we bounced back in this fashion," said Utah Valley head men's basketball coach Mark Madsen. "This was a good basketball game all around and our players were fearless. I'm really proud of our guys. We do a lot of shooting drills in practice but they get a lot of shooting in on their own and it showed."
 
Blaze Nield got the scoring going with a layup on the opening possession. Following a bucket by Fardaws Aimaq, both teams alternated scoring as UVU held a 15-14 advantage with 14:44 to go in the first half. Tim Ceaser sparked an 18-5 Wolverine run, extending Utah Valley's lead to 33-19 with 7:40 remaining in the opening half. After a three by Asa McCord, the Cougars scored the next five points to cut the lead down to 36-26, but the Wolverines outscored Chicago State 16-11 the rest of the way to take a 52-36 lead into the break.
 
After exchanging baskets to start the second half, the Cougars used an 11-2 run to cut the lead down to 59-52 with 16:34 to go in the game. Connor Harding scored the next eight points for UVU to get the Wolverines back on track as Utah Valley pushed its lead back out to 71-59 with 12:29 remaining. Chicago State made a final push, using a 9-2 surge to trim the lead down to 73-68 with just over 10 minutes left in the game, but that would be the closed CSU would get the rest of the way. Justin Harmon sparked a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach and the Wolverines hit free throws down the stretch to come away with the win, 101-87.
 
Harding led the Wolverines with 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting, including 4 of 5 from downtown. Aimaq chipped in 17 points and five rebounds and Ceaser scored a career-high 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting, including a perfect 4 of 4 from the charity stripe. Tim Fuller added a season-high 15 points, on 7 of 9 shooting, and five rebounds while Le'Tre Darthard finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Harmon scored 12 points off the bench to go along with four assists while Jaden McClanahan dished out four assists.
 
The Wolverines shot 17-for-19 from the charity stripe and won the rebounding battle 33-15. UVU also held a 48-40 advantage in the paint and Utah Valley's bench outscored Chicago State's 34-9. The Wolverines never trailed and made a season high 38 field goals.
 
The Wolverines continue on the road as UVU heads to WAC-newcomer Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and ESPN 960 AM. Utah Valley then travels to Sam Houston on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 1:00 p.m. MT.