Randolph's triple-double leads UVU to 113-87 win in final exhibition game


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OREM — It has been 19 months since Utah Valley University guard Brandon Randolph has played in a competitive game. The transfer from Xavier had to sit out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but the wait paid off.

Randolph recorded a triple-double in his UVU debut with a game-high 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of play to lead UVU to a 113-87 exhibition victory over Western State on Monday night at the UCCU Center.

"Honestly, I felt like this is the first time I played my game since I came to college, " Randolph said. "Coaches don't have a leash on me. I can play freely now. I can do what I want in his (head coach Mark Pope's) system. This system is just perfect for me. It feels really good. I'm so happy to be here and ready to get going."

The Wolverines got off to a quick start as they used a 17-0 run to jump out to a 24-7 lead. Randolph scored eight of those 24 points and recorded four of his 10 rebounds in that spurt.

Leading 44-27 with 6:34 left in the first half, the Wolverines lost focus and Western State took advantage. The Mountaineers used a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to eight with 4:13 to play.

It went back and forth through the end of the first half, and UVU took a 53-44 lead into the locker room.

Both teams came out swinging to start the second half, and the Wolverines just couldn't pull away. After two Collin Smith free throws cut the UVU lead to 12 at 79-67, the Wolverines went on a 16-2 over the next three minutes to take a 95-69 lead with 6:43 to play.

UVU never looked back and picked up the exhibition win over the NCAA Division II Mountaineers.

"It's good to get that one out of the way," Pope said. "Western State did a great job, played hard, made shots and ran their stuff. They are a good team. I felt like our guys played hard, but we have to clean so much up. That's to be expected though. I'm really excited about this team. I feel like we have a lot of potential and that we're going to be really good at the end of the season."

Randolph, Pope and the Wolverines will begin their season on Friday at 15th-ranked Gonzaga, and it is a game UVU believes it can win.

"I know they're really talented," Randolph said. "But we're going to be all right … honestly, we go into every game thinking we are going to win. We don't care who we play. I know they're talented, but we're talented too. I know that no one expects us to win. This is a new year, so we will see Friday."


Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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