Utah Valley defeats crosstown foe BYU in Marriott Center, 114-101
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Utah Valley (4-1) knocked down a school-record 18 three-point field goals en route to its 114-point performance—the second most points ever scored in a game by the Wolverines. The 114 points are also the most points ever scored by a BYU opponent in the Marriott Center.
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“This is a great win for us and a great night but we have so much growing to do,” said Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope. “This won’t be the best moment we have at Utah Valley. We still have so much work that we have to do and we can become such a better team but this is a really special night for us and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to play the game.”
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Trailing 16-11 just five minutes into the game, Utah Valley hit five-straight three-pointers en route to a 15-0 run to give the Wolverines a 26-16 lead with 13:57 remaining in the half. BYU (4-2) battled back to take a one-point lead, 52-51, with seven seconds remaining in the half before Randolph knocked down a three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 54-52 lead at the break.
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Holding on to a 75-73 lead with 10 minutes to play, Jordan Poydras knocked down a shot from long range to cap off a 10-0 UVU run to give the Wolverines an 85-73 lead with 7:48 remaining. BYU would only get as close as eight points, 87-79, at the six-minute mark before the Wolverines extended their lead back to double digits for the remainder of the game.
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Neilson connected on an impressive 10-of-12 shots from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from beyond the arc. The junior forward was just one rebound shy of his third-straight double-double with nine boards. He also tallied a pair of blocks.
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Randolph registered his career-high 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. The junior guard also went a perfect 2-for-2 from long range and made 8-of-10 free throws. Randolph was just one rebound shy of a triple-double as he tallied his 21 points with 14 assists and nine rebounds. Randolph’s 14 helpers are the most assists ever recorded by a UVU player in a single game, breaking the previous single game record of 12 set by Nick Thompson against Austin Peay in 2012.
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Conner Toolson and Poydras also had career nights with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Toolson hit seven shots from the field, including four from beyond the arc. He also had a game-high three steals with one rebound and an assist. Poydras scored his 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a 4-of-7 clip from three-point range. The senior guard pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists and had a pair of steals.
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Jared Stutzman was also in double figures with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-7 shots from three and going 2-for-2 at the free throw line. Stuzman registered seven rebounds with a game-high three blocks.
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Utah Valley shot 52.9 percent (36-of-68) from the field, including a 48.6 percent (18-of-37) clip from beyond the arc. The Wolverines held BYU to a 47.4 percent (37-of-78) mark from the field and a 28.6 percent (6-of-21) clip from long range. The Wolverines out-rebounded BYU 43-38 on the night.
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Utah Valley has won four-straight after opening the season with a road loss at Gonzaga. The Wolverines will look to extend their streak to five games when it takes on Washington State on Nov. 30 in Pullman. UVU will then return home to face UTSA on Dec. 3.
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