Utah Valley Advances In WAC Tournament After Blowout Win Over Chicago State
Mar 8, 2022, 11:37 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Valley Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Valley Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Valley Wolverines are moving on to the next round of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas after a 69-47 win over Chicago State.
It was a big second half performance that saw Utah Valley move on after a big victory over Chicago State.
Fardaws Aimaq had another strong performance, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from downtown. Blaze Nield added 12 points and six assists.
Final from Michelob Ultra Arena@UVUmbb 69@ChicagoStateMBB 47
The Wolverines advance to face Abilene Christian in the second round of the WAC Tournament tomorrow night at The Orleans Arena. Tip-off is set for 9:30 pm MT on EPSN+#KSLVegasMayhem #UVU #UVUmbb #GoUVU #WACVegas pic.twitter.com/Fdnx3hDamy
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 9, 2022
Big Second Half Lifts Utah Valley Past Chicago State In WAC Tournament
Fardaws Aimaq was on fire to start the game, scoring the first 10 points for the Wolverines before Connor Harding hit a three-pointer. The Wolverines were putting points on the board, while limiting Chicago State. The Cougars made just one of 12 during a five-minute stretch and didn’t make a field goal for over three minutes.
UVU had an 18-12 lead midway through the first half. Trey Woodbury made his first appearance of the season after missing the regular season with a knee injury. After holding a 26-19 lead, Chicago State went on a 8-0 run in just over two minutes to take the lead with under four minutes until halftime.
Utah Valley ended the first half on a 6-0 run, while Chicago State was scoreless in the final 3:06. UVU was up 32-29, led by Fardaws Aimaq with 14 points and five rebounds. Blaze Nield added six points, while Justin Harmon and Connor Harding each dropped five points.
Jahsean Corbett scored 13 points to lead Chicago State. Utah Valley shot 48% from the field. Chicago State made 33% of their field goal attempts.
It was a strong start to the second half for Utah Valley with a 12-0 run over a three-minute stretch. Brandon Betson received a technical foul and that sparked the run for the Wolverines. They held a 46-32 lead at the first media timeout of the second half.
Minutes later, the run was extended to 18-3 over a seven-minute stretch and it was a 20-point lead for the Wolverines. Utah Valley coasted to the win after outscoring Chicago State 37-18 in the second half.
Utah Valley will advance to the next round of the WAC Tournament. They will face 6-seed Abilene Christian on Wednesday, March 9 at The Orleans Arena. Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
