Feb. 8, 2013

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University welcomes future WAC foe and current Great West co-leader Texas-Pan American for a conference showdown in the UCCU Center on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

The Wolverines (10-13, 1-3) were edged by the Broncs (12-12, 3-1) on Jan. 19 in Edinburg, 64-62, ending a streak of four straight wins in a series that UVU leads 11-3.

The Broncs are led by All-Great West performer Brandon Provost, who ranks third in the league in scoring with 14.5 points per game. Provost, one of three seniors in the starting lineup for head coach Ryan Marks, leads all Great West players from beyond the arc, hitting 42.5 percent from three.

Senior point guard Aaron Urbanus averages 11.0 points per game and Jesus Delgado adds 9.4 per contest. In the win over UVU in January it was another senior, Ruben Cabrera, who scored 19 points off the bench to lead all scorers. It was Cabrera's bucket and free throw with 2:10 left that gave UTPA the lead for good.

Holton Hunsaker had 18 to lead Utah Valley in the first game between the teams while Ben Aird had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Last weekend against another team that will join UVU in the new-look WAC, CSU Bakersfield, Aird became the fifth player in the program's NCAA Division I era to reach 1,000 career points, hitting the mark on a free throw with 8:15 to left. The Wolverines dropped that contest to the `Runners, 75-62, with CSUB returning to Orem in the regular season finale on March 9.

Aird's 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds lead the team while Hunsaker is scoring 13.3 per game and is poised to soon become the program's next player to reach the 1,000 point plateau.

UVU will host Northern New Mexico College on Monday before returning to Great West play next Saturday at NJIT. There are eight games remaining on the schedule; five at home and three on the road prior to the Great West Tournament in Chicago March 14-16.