UTAH VALLEY WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON PLAY AT NEW MEXICO STATE

• Utah Valley travels to The Land of Enchantment to take on New Mexico State on Saturday in the team's regular season finale. Tipoff at the Pan American Center is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on ESPN 960 AM radio.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq's historic night wasn't enough as Utah Valley fell to Grand Canyon, 68-57, at GCU Arena on Thursday night in Phoenix. Aimaq reached 1,000 career points in his three career seasons (one at Mercer, two at UVU). The Wolverines shot a season-worst 1-of-14 from deep and 12-of-25 from the foul line as the Lopes pulled away late. Aimaq finished the night with a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double to go along with a pair of assists. Justin Harmon added 18 points and five rebounds while Connor Harding chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.
   
• One more double-double will give Fardaws Aimaq 27, tying him with Pascal Siakam for the most double-doubles in WAC history. A 27th double-double would also tie him with nine other players, including Siakam, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton for the fifth-most double-doubles in NCAA history.
   
• Aimaq is also closing in on Paul Millsap's WAC rebound record. Big Maple currently has 245 rebounds in WAC play and needs just six more to break Millsap's WAC-only games record of 250 (2005-06). Aimaq has 409 rebounds this season and is now just 30 shy of breaking Millsap's 438 rebounds tallied during the 2005-06 season.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq was named the TicketSmarter WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for February 21-27. The award marks Aimaq's fifth WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the eighth of his career. Big Maple recorded his 24th and 25th double-doubles of the season in a pair of wins over Seattle U and California Baptist. On the week, he averaged 19.5 points and 17.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field.
   
• With his 20-point, 21-rebound performance on Feb. 19 at Dixie State, Aimaq became the only player in the country with three 20/20 games this season. Aimaq is also the only player in the nation to record back-to-back 20/20 games and is the only player in the country averaging at least 19 points and 13 rebounds per game.
   
• Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (26) and defensive rebounds per game (10.93). Aimaq also ranks second in rebounds per game (14.1) and second in total rebounds (409).
   
• As a team, Utah Valley ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29.79), fifth in rebound margin (8.6), sixth in total rebounds per game (41.03), and seventh in three-point field goal defense (28.0).

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at New Mexico State will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. Adam Young and Joe Garza will have the call on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves in Utah County with Jim McCulloch on the call. 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 NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State enters Saturday's game with a 23-6 overall record. The team is currently in a three-way tie for first place with Seattle U and Stephen F. Austin with a 13-4 WAC record. The WAC title is on the line on Saturday for the Aggies. A win would give NM State at least a share of the regular season championship and the No. 1 seed at the upcoming WAC Tournament in Las Vegas. The Aggies have dropped two straight, including a 61-59 loss at Chicago State and a 73-71 setback at home to Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night. The loss on Thursday night snapped a 32-game home winning streak in WAC play. Prior to Thursday night, NM State hadn't dropped a WAC game at the Pan American Center since Utah Valley defeated the Aggies, 84-72, on Feb. 23, 2017. Johnny McCants led NM State with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to SFA on Thursday night. Teddy Allen leads the team in scoring this season at 19.3 points a game. Jabari Rice also averages double figures at 12.2 points a game. Allen also leads the team on the boards, pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game. As a team, NM State ranks 12th nationally in rebound margin at 7.4.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NM STATE
Utah Valley and New Mexico State will meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 19th time on Saturday. It will be the first game between the two teams played in Las Cruces since Feb. 15, 2020 when Jabari Rice banked in a game-winning three-pointer in the final second to give the Aggies an 84-82 win over UVU. NM State holds an all-time 13-5 advantage in the series. The two teams split a pair of WAC regular season games last year in El Paso, Texas with UVU taking a 69-66 win on Feb. 19 before the Aggies won a 67-60 decision the next night. NM State was not allowed to play in Las Cruces last season due to the state's COVID regulations. Utah Valley took a 72-68 win earlier this season on Feb. 12 in Orem. UVU is 2-2 against New Mexico State in its last four games against the Aggies. Utah Valley is 1-6 against the Aggies in Las Cruces.

All-Time Results vs. NM State (NMSU leads series, 13-5)
02/12/2022    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 72-68        Orem, Utah
03/12/2021    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 78-62        Las Vegas, Nevada
02/20/2021    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 67-60        El Paso, Texas
02/19/2021    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 69-66        El Paso, Texas
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.

LAST MEETING vs. NM State (Feb. 12, 2022 - Orem, Utah)
OREM-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.

The Wolverines made clutch free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win during the final seconds to claim the win. UVU led by seven points, 67-60, with 38 seconds to play before NM State cut it to just two points, 69-67, with nine seconds to play. Asa McCord and Aimaq knocked down key free throws over the final five seconds to secure the win.

AIMAQ ON THE CUSP OF BREAKING PAUL MILLSAP'S SINGLE SEASON WAC REBOUND RECORDS
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq currently has 409 rebounds this season, including 245 boards in WAC play. The WAC record for rebounds in a full single season is 438 set by Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap during the 2005-06 season. Millsap also holds the record for rebounds in a WAC-only season at 250. Aimaq needs 30 more rebounds to break Millsap's record of 438. Big Maple needs only six more boards to break Millsap's WAC-only rebound mark of 250 also set during the 2005-06 season.

All-Time WAC Single Season Rebounds Record (Full Season)
1.    438    Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech     2005-06
2.    409    Fardaws Aimaq, Utah Valley    2021-22

All-Time WAC Single Season Rebounds Record (WAC-Only Games)
1.    250    Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech    2005-06
2.    245    Fardaws Aimaq, Utah Valley    2021-22

20/20 CLUB
Fardaws Aimaq is the only player in the nation with three 20/20 games this season. The sophomore center recorded a 24-point, 22-rebound game in a win over then No. 12-ranked BYU at home. He then became the only player in the country to record back-to-back 20/20 games with a 20-point, 22-rebound game in a win at Tarleton (Feb. 16, 2022), followed by a 21-point, 20-rebound game in a loss at Dixie State (Feb. 19, 2022). There have only been 13 20/20 games this season and Aimaq has three of them.

AIMAQ ONE DOUBLE-DOUBLE AWAY FROM SIAKAM'S WAC RECORD, SIXTH-MOST IN NCAA HISTORY
One more double-double will give Fardaws Aimaq 27 double-doubles this season, tying him with Pascal Siakam for the most double-doubles in WAC history. A 27th double-double would also tie him with nine other players, including Siakam, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton for the fifth-most double-doubles in NCAA history.

AIMAQ JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB, JUST 41 POINTS SHY OF 600 SEASON POINTS
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw with 12:47 to play in the second half at Grand Canyon on March 3. Aimaq has scored 862 of those points in his two seasons with Utah Valley. He also scored 146 points during the 2018-19 season at Mercer. Aimaq also needs just 43 more points to become just the third player in UVU history to score 600 or more points in a single season. The only other Wolverines to hit the single season 600-point mark are Ronnie Price (2004-05) and Ryan Toolson (2007-08, 2008-09).

AIMAQ BREAKS ALL-TIME UVU SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDS RECORD
With his 21 rebounds at Dixie State on Feb. 20, Fardaws Aimaq surpassed Geddes Robinson as the all-time single season rebounder in UVU history. Aimaq now has a single season school-record 390 rebounds, passing Robinson who had 344 rebounds during the 2011-12 season.

AIMAQ IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY AVERAGING AT LEAST 19 POINTS AND 14 REBOUNDS PER GAME
Fardaws Aimaq is the only player in the nation averaging at least 19 points and 14 rebounds per game. Big Maple leads UVU in scoring at 19.2 points and rebounding at 14.1 rebounds per game. He ranks second nationally in rebounding and is 37th in scoring.