UTAH VALLEY CONTINUES WAC TOURNEY PLAY AGAINST NO. 6 ABILENE CHRISTIAN ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

• After picking up a 69-47 over No. 10 Chicago State in the opening round of the WAC Tournament on Tuesday night, Utah Valley continues tourney play on Wednesday night against sixth-seeded Abilene Christian. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. MT
   
• Fardaws Aimaq scored 20 points and Blaze Nield added 12 to lead Utah Valley to a 69-47 win over No. 10 Chicago State in the opening round of the WAC Tournament on Tuesday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Justin Harmon scored seven points, while Tim Fuller added six points with a pair of blocks. Le'Tre Darthard, Connor Harding, and Trey Woodbury each pitched in with five points. Woodbury checked into the game at the 12:15 mark of the first half for the first time since scoring 34 points in the WAC Tournament semifinals against New Mexico State last season.
   
• The Wolverines make their eighth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. Utah Valley holds now holds an all-time 5-7 record at the tournament. UVU heads into this year's tournament with the No. 7 seed, marking the lowest seed the team has been in its seven appearances at the event. The lowest seed UVU had previously earned was the No. 5 seed in 2015.
   
• Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team the league office announced on Monday. Aimaq earns the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year award for a second straight season. He is the only player in UVU history to earn the honor. Aimaq also earns first team all-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors for a second straight year.
   
• 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 broke Paul Millsap's WAC season rebounds record of 245, compiling 254 boards during WAC play this season. Millsap's record had stood for 15 seasons before Amaq broke it with his nine rebounds in UVU's final WAC game of the season at New Mexico State on March 5. Big Maple now has 424 rebounds this season is now 15 rebounds away from breaking Millsap's overall WAC record of 438 rebounds tallied in 2005-06.
   
• Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (26) and defensive rebounds per game (10.65). Aimaq also ranks second in rebounds per game (13.7) and second in total rebounds (424). Aimaq ranks second in the WAC in blocks per game at 1.3. As a team, Utah Valley ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29.68), fourth in three-point field goal defense (27.7), sixth in rebound margin (8.2), and seventh in total rpg. (40.71).

UTAH VALLEY'S WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Utah Valley makes its eighth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. Coach Mark Madsen makes his second appearance at the tournament. Last season was his first appearance at the tournament since the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID.  The Wolverines hold an all-time 5-7 record at the tournament. UVU's five wins at the tournament were a 83-63 win over UTRGV in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament, a 65-53 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Seattle U in the 2017 tournament, an 81-74 victory over CSU Bakersfield in the quarterfinals of the 2018 tourney, a 71-64 win over Kansas City in the quarterfinals of 2019 tournament, and a 69-47 win over Chicago State in the opening round of the 2022 tournament. UVU heads into this year's tournament with the No. 7 seed for the first in its eight appearances. It is the lowest seed the Wolverines have ever had. UVU's previous low seed was No. 5 in the 2017 tournament. Utah Valley has made it to the semifinals of the tournament in the previous four tournaments.

ALL-TIME RESULTS AT WAC TOURNAMENT
March 13, 2014    #1 Utah Valley 83, #8 UTRGV 63    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 14, 2014    #5 Idaho 74, #1 Utah Valley 69    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 12, 2015    #4 Bakersfield 55, #5 Utah Valley 40    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 10, 2016    #5 UMKC 80, #4 Utah Valley 78    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 09, 2017    #4 Utah Valley 65, #5 Seattle U 53    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 10, 2017    #1 CSU Bakersfield 81, #4 UVU 80 (4OT)    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 08, 2018    #2 Utah Valley 81, #7 CSU Bakersfield 74    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 09, 2018    #3 Grand Canyon 75, #2 Utah Valley 60    Semifinals - Las Vega
March 14, 2019    #2 Utah Valley 71, #7 Kansas City 64    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 15, 2019    #3 Grand Canyon 78, #2 Utah Valley 74    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 12, 2021    #3 NM State 78, #2 Utah Valley 62    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 08, 2022    #7 Utah Valley 69, #10 Chicago State 47    Opening Round - Las Vegas

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday night's game against Abilene Christian will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. MIchael Potter and Sed Bonner will have the call on ESPN+ with Kendra Perkins on the sideline. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves in Utah County with Jim McCulloch and Josh Kallunki on the call. The radio broadcast will be aired live on ESPN 960 AM radio. A live stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN960sports.com.

ABOUT ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Abilene Christian is one of the five new teams to join the WAC this season. The team won the Southland Conference tournament last year to earn a spot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. ACU made the most of its opportunity, knocking off Texas in the first round before falling to UCLA in the second round. The Wildcats head into their first-ever WAC Tournament game on Wednesday night with a 20-9 overall record. The team wrapped up regular season play with two-straight wins at home over Dixie State and Tarleton. Coryon Mason leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Airion Simmons and Mahki Morris also average double figures at 11.3 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. ACU leads the nation in steals per game at 11.3 a contest. The team also leads the country in turnover margin (9.0) and turnovers forced (21.79). The Wildcats also rank second nationally in total steals with 327 takeaways this season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Utah Valley and Abilene Christian will meet up on the basketball hardwood for just the second time. The two teams first met ealier this season in Orem with ACU taking an 80-76 win in the first-ever matchup.

LAST MEETING vs. Abilene Christian (Dec. 30, 2021 - Orem, Utah)
OREM—Blaze Nield nearly recorded a triple-double with career highs of 27 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds to lead Utah Valley in an 80-76 setback to Abilene Christian in the team's Western Athletic Conference opener on Dec. 30, 2021 at the UCCU Center. Fardaws Aimaq recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Le'Tre Darthard was also in double figures with 13 points.

UTAH VALLEY WINS WAC TOURNAMENT OPENER OVER CHICAGO STATE, 69-47
Fardaws Aimaq scored 20 points and Blaze Nield added 12 to lead Utah Valley to a 69-47 win over No. 10 Chicago State in the opening round of the WAC Tournament on Tuesday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

AIMAQ NAMED WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, FIRST TEAM ALL-WAC, AND TO WAC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team the league office announced on Monday. The All-Conference honors are voted on by the WAC's head coaches. Aimaq earns the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year award for a second straight season. He is the only player in UVU history to earn the honor. Aimaq also earns first team all-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors for a second straight year.

AIMAQ BREAKS PAUL MILLSAP'S WAC-ONLY SINGLE SEASON REBOUND RECORD, ON CUSP OF BREAKING HIS OVERALL SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDS MARK
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq broke Paul Millsap's WAC-only single season rebounds record on March 5 at New Mexico State. Aimaq finished the WAC season with 254 boards, surpassing Millsap's record of 245 set during the 2005-06 season. Aimaq currently has 424 rebounds this season and is now just 15 boards away from breaking Millsap's overall single season record of 438 rebounds (2005-06).

AIMAQ ONE DOUBLE-DOUBLE AWAY FROM SIAKAM'S WAC RECORD, HAS 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.