ARLINGTON, Texas — Utah Valley heads to Texas this weekend for a key Western Athletic Conference road matchup at UT Arlington on Saturday, Feb. 22, at College Park Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Wolverine Sports Network/ESPN The Fan, with the pregame show beginning at 12:30 p.m. MT.
Utah Valley enters the game at 19-7 overall and in sole possession of first place in the WAC standings with a 9-4 conference record following a 65-46 home win over California Baptist on Thursday night. The Wolverines have won four straight in the series against UT Arlington and now control their own destiny in the race for a back-to-back WAC regular-season championship with five games remaining.
The Wolverines turned in one of their best defensive performances of the season in Thursday's win over CBU, holding the Lancers to just 29.3 percent shooting and limiting them to nine free-throw attempts. Isaac Davis led UVU with 14 points, while Tyler Hendricks added 12 and Isaac Hawkins chipped in 10 off the bench. Trevan Leonhardt recorded eight assists as Utah Valley extended its home win streak to 25 games.
Utah Valley continues to rank among the national leaders in several categories, including assists per game, steals per game, blocks per game and turnovers forced. The Wolverines are averaging 81.0 points per game while holding opponents to 67.3 and own a +13.6 scoring margin on the season.
Leonhardt remains one of the most versatile guards in the country, currently averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, making him the only Division I player nationally averaging at least 11 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals per contest.
Jackson Holcombe leads Utah Valley in scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg) while ranking among the national leaders in steals and double-doubles. Holcombe is one of the players named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I men's basketball.
UT Arlington enters Saturday's matchup at 15-11 overall and 7-7 in WAC play after a 63-50 home win over Utah Tech on Thursday night. The Mavericks held the Trailblazers to their lowest point total of the season while dominating the paint (46-16) and outrebounding Utah Tech 43-27. Marcell McCreary led UTA with 13 points, while Cash Chavis added 12.
Saturday's contest marks the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs. Utah Valley leads the series 6-4 and has won the last four matchups, including an 81-60 victory over the Mavericks earlier this season in Orem.
