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OREM — The UVU men's basketball team currently sits in sixth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 3-6 record in conference play. One of those losses was a three-point loss at CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 21 in which the Wolverines had two opportunities late to tie the game but just couldn't find the bottom of the net.
The loss was part of what UVU head coach Mark Pope referred to as being "stuck in a mosh pit." The Wolverines lost six of their first eight games and were in a place they didn't expect to be.
However, following an 84-76 loss at UMKC on Feb. 9, a trip to last-place Chicago State was just what the doctor ordered. Although the Cougars stunned the Wolverines, 70-61, on Jan. 12 in Orem, it was a completely different story in the Jones Convocation Center on Feb. 11.
Conner Toolson scored a game-high 17 points, Isaac Neilson recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double and UVU picked up an 87-54 win. Jordan Poydras and Jared Stutzman were also in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively, to lead a UVU effort that might have been its best from start to finish since beating BYU on Nov. 26.
"I'm really happy for my guys and am really proud of the kind of effort and toughness they showed tonight," Pope said following the win. "We got a great effort from everyone today. I thought our shot selection was really smart tonight. We played with tremendous force. Our guys executed with great force, making plays for each other. We didn't win this game because we hit shots. We won this game because we executed our defensive game plan. We probably shot a little better tonight because we were just a little more aggressively getting better shots for our teammates."
That same effort will be required on Thursday night when league-leading CSU Bakersfield comes to town. The Roadrunners have won six straight games, including a 72-53 shellacking over New Mexico State on Feb. 9 to snap the Aggies' 20-game win streak.
The Roadrunners have four players averaging in double figures, led by Jaylin Airington at 14.6 points. Damiyne Durham (14.0), Dedrick Basile (12.1) and Matt Smith (11.4) are the other 'Runners to average double figures.
"It's fun for us because we got New Mexico State in here when they were No. 1 in the league and we get Cal State Bakersfield when they're No. 1 in the league," Pope said. "This Bakersfield team is really good. On any given day, one out of seven or eight guys could be their leading scorer or their leading rebounder. They play their tails off. Coach does a great job with these guys. They're a really, really impressive team."
It might be the toughest stretch of the season for UVU. The Wolverines face the top-three teams in the WAC over their next three games.
After hosting the Roadrunners Thursday night, UVU will host the third-place Grand Canyon at the UCCU Center Saturday night.
A week from Thursday, UVU travels to Las Cruces for a rematch with New Mexico State. If UVU wants to make any noise in the WAC in 2017, this week might be a good place to start.
"I like my guys," Pope said. "They practice hard every day. They're a little chippy every day. I think we're getting better. I think we're learning. I think we're finding ourselves a little bit. … We got the three best teams in the league back-to-back-to-back. … It's good. This is the best time in basketball."
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
