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OREM, Utah -- Geddes Robinson had a big night with 21 points and 15 rebounds and Jordan Swarbrick finished just shy of a triple-double as Utah Valley notched an 80-60 win over Mayville State on Monday in the UCCU Center.
Swarbrick finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Ben Aird scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half as the Wolverines (5-6) cruised to the victory.
"Geddes did a nice job. He positioned himself well and was patient in the post. He was active and aggressive on the glass," said Coach Dick Hunsaker. "Ben got his energy at halftime and we did a good job of going inside with the ball."
The Wolverines limited Mayville State's leading scorer, Shavontae Samuels, to 10 points - 12 shy of his average - on just 2-of-12 from the field. Samuels missed his first nine attempts and scored eight of his points in the second half with UVU holding a secure double-digit lead.
"Our defensive effort was pretty consistent. We made them work and earn their shots. Samuels is really an explosive player," Hunsaker said. "I thought (Shawn) Deadwiler's play in the first half was the energizer. He did a wonderful job and really took the challenge."
The Wolverines scored the first eight points of the game and led by as much as 31, never trailing against the Comets.
UVU led by five, 16-11, midway through the first half before using a 10-2 run to push the lead to 11. Mayville State got back within six before the Wolverines closed the half on a 10-3 spurt to lead 38-25 after 20 minutes.
Out of the break, Aird scored back-to-back buckets followed by a Holton Hunsaker three to put the Wolverines up 20 a minute into the half. Aird scored nine of UVU's first 15 points after halftime and his basket and free throw with 16:09 to go pushed the lead over 20, where it stayed the rest of the way.
Utah Valley hit 49.1 percent from the field including a combined 12-for-16 from Aird and Robinson. Justin Baker added eight points and five rebounds off the bench as UVU outscored the Comets 38-14 in the paint.
Isiah Williams scored eight for UVU with Hunsaker and Deadwiler each adding seven to round out the scoring. Deadwiler also pulled down six rebounds as the Wolverines had a 45-32 edge on the glass.
David Slezak led Mayville State with 12 points. The Comets were limited to 31.7 percent from the field and hit just 27.3 percent of their shots in the first half.
Up next the Wolverines travel to Portland State for a game Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8:05 p.m. MT against Vikings of the Big Sky Conference. They'll return after Christmas on Tuesday, Dec. 28th against the Isiah Thomas-coached Florida International Panthers.
