Wolverines get victory before Christmas break

Two days ago, 7,124 fans rocked the UCCU Center to watch Utah Valley host Utah State, setting a school attendance record in the process. The 415 fans that turned out for Monday’s game were more subdued.

That didn’t stop UVU from rolling over the Mayville State Comets 80-60.

The Wolverines dominated from the start, scoring early and building an eight-point lead before Mayville could respond with a layup. UVU stifled Mayville defensively in the first half, allowing the Comets to shoot only 27.3 percent.

Though the game was never in doubt, the Wolverines staved off two comeback attempts by Mayville during the second half. The Comets were able to make several three-pointers to chip away at UVU’s lead, but could not sustain either rally.

Geddes Robinson racked up 21 points and 15 rebounds to earn a double-double on the night. “I thought Geddes did a nice job, obviously active and aggressive on offense,” said Coach Dick Hunsaker.

Ben Aird and Jordan Swarbrick also scored in the double digits, with 15 and 14, respectively. Swarbrick also pulled in eight rebounds and eight assists.

UVU shot 49.1 percent overall and won the rebound game 45-32, both large improvements over their Saturday night performance against Utah State.

“I thought our defensive effort was pretty consistent,” said Hunsaker, “We made them work for their shots.”

Hunsaker attributed some of the success to the size differential between the teams that they were able to exploit. Despite the lopsided score, he emphasized the talent on Mayville State, including Shavontae Samuels, who averages 22 points per game.

“This team beat North Dakota last year, a team we couldn’t beat,” said Hunsaker.

Utah Valley won’t play again until Dec. 28 when they have a rematch against Florida International at 7:00 p.m. at home. FIU beat UVU 62-65 in Miami on Nov. 23.