UTAH VALLEY HEADS TO LONE STAR STATE TO TAKE ON STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

• Utah Valley continues WAC road play this week as the team travels to Texas to take on WAC newcomer Stephen F. Austin on Thursday evening at William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches, Texas. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. (MT).
   
• Six Wolverines scored in double-figures as Utah Valley knocked off Chicago State, 101-87, on the road at the Jones Convocation Center on Jan. 27 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. Harding led the Wolverines with 18 points with four threes.  Aimaq chipped in 17 points and five rebounds and Ceaser scored a career-high 17 points. Tim Fuller added a season-high 15 points while Le'Tre Darthard finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Harmon scored 12 points off the bench in his first game since Dec. 1.
   
• Utah Valley started the season with a KenPom.com ranking of 221. Since then, the Wolverines have climbed 110 spots to 111 as of Feb. 1. It is the seventh-biggest jump in the country this season. It is the biggest jump in the WAC and biggest jump among Division I teams in the state of Utah.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq has earned multiple honors already this season. He already has three WAC Player of the Week honors, two Lute Olson National Player of the Week wards, and an ESPN Player of the Week award.
   
• Aimaq is the only player in the nation averaging at least 19 points and 13 rebounds per game.
   
• As of Feb. 1, Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (17) and defensive rebounds per game (10.55). Aimaq also ranks second in total rebounds (271) and rebounds per game (13.6). He is also 17th in free throw attempts (130), 26th in free throws made (94), 31st in field goals made (140), 39th in points per game (19.1), and 42nd in offensive rebounds per game (3.00).
   
• As a team, Utah Valley ranks sixth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (29.55), seventh in rebound margin (9.1), 17th in rebounds per game (40.80), 22nd in field-goal percentage defense (39.2), and 30th in three-point field goal percentage (37.4).
   
• The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named to the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's game at Stephen F. Austin will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves in Utah County game as Jim McCulloch, the radio Voice of the Wolverines, is in his 12th season with the team. 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 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Stephen F. Austin heads into Thursday's game against UVU with a 13-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark in WAC play. The Lumberjacks most recently snapped a two-game skid with an 81-77 road win at California Baptist on Saturday night. Senior forward Gavin Kensmil scored a career-high 37 points, which included his 1000th career point in the win over the Lancers. Kensmil scored 28 of his 37 points in the second half against CBU. Kensmil leads the Jacks in scoring this season at 15.5 points a game and rebounding at 7.2 boards per game. Senior guard David Kacheiries also averages double figures at 10.7 points a game. He ranks 14th nationally in free throw attempts (133) and 15th in field goal percentage (59.8). As a team, SFA is one of the top teams in the country at forcing turnovers, causing 17.62 turnovers a game, which ranks 14th nationally. The Jacks also ranks 17th in the country in total steals at 187.  

SERIES HISTORY VS. SFA
Utah Valley and Stephen F. Austin will meet up on the basketball hardwood for he first time on Thursday night.

AIMAQ IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY TO AVERAGE AT LEAST 19 POINTS AND 13 REBOUNDS PER GAME
Fardaws Aimaq is the only player in the nation averaging at least 19 points and 13 rebounds per game. Big Maple leads UVU in scoring at 19.2 points and rebounding at 13.6 rebounds per game. He ranks second nationally in rebounding and 39th in scoring at 19.2 points a game.

HISTORIC SHOOTING NIGHT IN THE WINDY CITY
Utah Valley shot 69.1 percent (38-55) from the field, its best percentage since the 2013-14 season. The Wolverines also shot a 72.7 percent (8-11) mark from long range, its best clip since 2007. UVU also connected on an impressive 17 of 19 shots from the free throw line, an 89.5 percent mark.

UTAH VALLEY HAS MADE ONE OF THE BIGGEST JUMPS IN THE NATION IN THE KENPOM RANKINGS THIS SEASON
Utah Valley started the season with a KenPom.com ranking of 221. Since then, the Wolverines have climbed an impressive 110 spots to 111 as of Feb. 1. It is the seventh-biggest jump in the country this season. It is the biggest jump in the WAC and biggest jump among Division I teams in the state of Utah.