UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS TO LONE STAR STATE TO PLAY TARLETON ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

• Utah Valley heads back out on the road to continue WAC play against Tarleton on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT
   
• Fardaws Aimaq recorded his nation-leading 21st double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 72-68 win over WAC leader New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. New Mexico State had won five straight games before its loss to the Wolverines. Justin Harmon scored 17 points. Blaze Nield scored 14 points on a 4 of 5 clip from the field. He also had six assists with a steal. Connor Harding was also in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and a pair of assists.
   
• Utah Valley started the season with a KenPom.com ranking of 221. Since then, the Wolverines have climbed 105 spots to 116 as of Feb. 14. It is the 10th 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 been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for February 7 through February 13. It is his fourth WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the seventh of his career. Aimaq has earned multiple honors already this season. He has four 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. 14, Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (21) and defensive rebounds per game (10.08). Aimaq also ranks second in rebounds per game (13.1) and second in total rebounds (315). He is also 18th in free throw attempts (153), 30th in free throws made (111), 32nd in field goals made (166), 39th in offensive rebounds per game (3.04), and 44th in points per game (19.0).
   
• As a team, Utah Valley ranks ninth in the country in defensive rebounds per game (28.88). The Wolverines also rank 10th in rebound margin at 7.7 and 21st in rebounds per game at 40.04.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday's game against Tarleton 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 with Matthew Baiamonte filling in for Jim McCulloch. 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 TARLETON
Tarleton heads into Wednesday night's game against UVU with an 11-14 overall record and a 6-6 WAC mark. The team had won three straight games before falling to Abilene Christian at home on Saturday, 77-63. Senior guard Montre Gipson led the Texans with a game-high 21 points in the loss to ACU. Sophomore guard Shamir Bogues helped with 12 points, while freshman guard Noah McDavid added 10. Gipson leads Tarleton in scoring this season at 15.3 points a game, which ranks eighth in the WAC. Senior guard Tahj Small and sophomore forward Freddy Hicks also average double figure scoring this season at 13.9 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Hicks leads the team on the boards, pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TARLETON
Utah Valley and Tarleton will meet for just the fourth time on the basketball hardwood. The game will be Utah Valley's first-ever trip to Stephenville as the previous three games were all played in Orem. The two teams split their first-ever matchups last season (2020-21) with Utah Valley taking a 73-60 win (1/30/21) before falling 70-62 on back-to-back nights in Orem last year. Utah Valley defeated Tarleton 77-55 in the first game of this season's two-game series on Jan. 1 at the UCCU Center in Orem. However, Tarleton was without five of its players due to COVID protocols.

All-Time Results vs. Tarleton (2-1)
Jan. 29, 2021    Utah Valley def. Tarleton, 73-60        Orem, Utah
Jan. 30, 2021    Tarleton def. Utah Valley, 70-62        Orem, Utah
Jan. 01, 2022    Utah Valley def. Tarleton, 77-55        Orem, Utah

LAST MEETING vs. Tarleton (Jan. 1, 2022 - Orem, UT)
Fardaws Aimaq recorded his national-leading 12th double-double of the season with 21 points and 16 rebounds and Connor Harding added 17 points to lead Utah Valley to a 77-55 win over WAC foe Tarleton on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.

AIMAQ EARNS FOURTH WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR AND SEVENTH OF HIS CAREER
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for February 7 through February 13. It is his fourth WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the seventh of his career. Aimaq, a redshirt-sophomore center from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, recorded his nation-leading 20th and 21st double-doubles of the season as the Wolverines split a pair of crucial WAC games at home. After putting up 15 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to Grand Canyon on Thursday, he stepped up on Saturday, scoring 23 points with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 72-68 over league-leading NM State.

AIMAQ IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY AVERAGING 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 19.0 points and rebounding at 13.1 rebounds per game. He ranks second nationally in rebounding and is 44th in scoring.

WOLVERINES KNOCK DOWN WAC LEADER NEW MEXICO STATE AT HOME, 72-68
Fardaws Aimaq recorded his nation-leading 21st double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 72-68 win over WAC leader New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. New Mexico State had won five straight games before the loss to the Wolverines. UVU is only the second WAC team and fourth team this season to defeat the Aggies, who fall to 20-4 overall and 10-2 in WAC play.