CEDAR CITY—Utah Valley continues Western Athletic Conference play Thursday night as the Wolverines travel to Cedar City to face Southern Utah at the America First Event Center.
Utah Valley enters the matchup at 22-7 overall and sits atop the WAC standings with a 12-4 league record after defeating Abilene Christian 74-67 on Saturday at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines hold a one-game lead over California Baptist in the conference standings with two games remaining as they look to secure a second straight WAC regular-season title.
The Wolverines have won four straight games and are led by redshirt sophomore forward Jackson Holcombe, who averages a team-best 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while also leading the team in steals (69), blocks (41) and double-doubles (8). Junior guard Trevan Leonhardt adds 11.8 points, 5.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game and leads the WAC in assists, while Tyler Hendricks also averages 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 60 three-pointers this season.
Southern Utah enters Thursday's matchup at 10-19 overall and 6-10 in WAC play after defeating Utah Tech 81-67 on Saturday in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds average 76.4 points per game while allowing 79.3 and shoot 45.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range.
Southern Utah is led by Elijah Duval, who averages 14.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while Jaiden Feroah adds 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest and leads the team with 49 blocks. Tanner Hayhurst also scores in double figures at 10.7 points per game and has made a team-high 53 three-pointers this season.
The teams have split the season series. Utah Valley recorded an 89-72 win over Southern Utah on Jan. 8 at the UCCU Center in Orem before the Thunderbirds responded with an 84-70 victory on Jan. 21 in Cedar City.
Thursday's game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. MT and will be streamed live on ESPN+. The contest will also be broadcast on the Wolverine Sports Network/ESPN The Fan with Jim McCulloch calling the action. The pregame show on ESPN The Fan will begin at 6 p.m.
