Olsen returns to lead UVU over Savannah State

Utah Valley guard Josh Olsen, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle, made his first start since the injury and led the Wolverines to a runaway 55-39 win over Savannah State. With UVU’s leading scorer Ryan Toolson held in check with only five points, Olsen made it his duty to put the ball in the hole as he picked up the slack with 15 points to go along with four assists.

“Savannah is very physical, very hard nosed and very competitive,” UVU coach Dick Hunsaker said. “They are extremely well coached and well disciplined. We knew it was going to be a tough battle. I was pleased that we were able to withstand the physicality, and I thought we played hard in the game.”

Most of that praise should be attributed to Olsen who was 4-of-5 from behind the arc. His toughness and solid play as the Wolverine point guard sometimes gets overlooked with Toolson playing in the other guard slot. However, Olsen has no qualms and just does what is needed to win.

The Wolverines took a 24-19 lead into the locker room at the break after an extremely defensive first half. Utah Valley held Savannah State to only three field goals in the first 10 minutes of the game and led by as many as 10 before the half.

Jourdain Scoubes came up big in the first half for UVU with six points and seven rebounds to help maintain the lead. He would finish with 12 points on the night as the Wolverines put it on cruise control in the second half.

UVU broke the game open in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field and holding the Tigers to 37 percent shooting. Utah Valley spurted to a 15-2 run over nearly four and half minutes at one point down the stretch and hit 5-of-7 from down town in the final 20 minutes to secure the win.