Utah Valley Avoids Collapse, Holds Off New Mexico State

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Valley men’s basketball team avoided a major collapse and held off the New Mexico State Aggies for a five-point victory at home.

The Wolverines hosted the Aggies at UCCU Center in Orem, Utah on Saturday, January 28.

UVU beat New Mexico State, 77-72.

FINAL | @UVUmbb 77, NM State 72

Dunk ➡️ block, Aziz is him! The Devil Bears win at home and move to 8-2 in #WAChoops play pic.twitter.com/HBhSzjaUj4

— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) January 28, 2023

It was Utah Valley’s third win in the last four games.

However, the victory didn’t arrive as easily as it appeared in the first half. The Wolverines controlled the contest for the entirety of the first half thanks to a big start on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

During the first nine minutes of action, UVU jumped out to a 21-point lead and limited New Mexico State to only one made field goal, a three-pointer that came less than a minute into the contest.

After the Aggies’ three, the Wolverines locked down on defense and held New Mexico State scoreless until the 11:44 mark of the opening half.

Following Utah Valley’s early 24-3 lead, New Mexico State responded with a big run of its own. The Aggies quickly closed the gap and the Wolverines took a single-possession advantage into the locker room at halftime, 39-36.

During the opening minutes of the second half, the Aggies jumped out to their first lead in more than 20 minutes of game time. The two teams battled back and forth during the final half until UVU took the lead with a little under eight minutes left on the clock.

New Mexico State trimmed its deficit to a point in the final minute before Utah Valley closed out the game at the free throw line.

The Wolverines ended the afternoon shooting 46.7 percent overall and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Aggies shot 41.5 percent from the floor, including 37.5 percent from distance.

Four Wolverines reached double figures in scoring. Justin Harmon led UVU with 17 points on 6-15 field goals. Aziz Bandaogo poured in 16 points and Le’Tre Darthard and Trey Woodbury combined for 30 points.

Anthony Roy led the Aggies with 23 points.

FINAL#GoUVU #UVU #ProtectTheDen #NCAA #WAC #D1 #final #gameday #WINNERS #gogreen #letsgo #ballislife pic.twitter.com/KrQ3WzG0IW

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) January 28, 2023

With the win, the Wolverines improved their record to 17-6 this season, including 8-2 in Western Athletic Conference games.

Utah Valley’s next game is on the road against the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Thursday, February 2 at 7 p.m. (MDT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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