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Mitch Bruneel scored a career-high 27 points and Zach Nelson added a career-high 24 to lead Utah Valley to an 85-75 road win over in-state rival Southern Utah on Saturday night at the Centrum Arena.
Utah Valley improves to 2-1 overall with the win. The Wolverines also even up their road record at 1-1. The game against Southern Utah marked Utah Valley's second of seven straight road games.
"It was Southern Utah's home opener and they were energized, played hard and played with a lot of heart," Utah Valley head coach Dick Hunsaker said. "It was a good team win for us tonight. Mitch and Zach loaded us up on their back and did a sensational job. I thought Marcel did a good job of guiding and directing the team out on the floor tonight."
The Wolverines and Thunderbirds went back-and-forth as the game produced six lead changes and eight ties.
Bruneel scored his 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-3 clip from long range. He also knocked down 3-of-3 shots from the charity stripe. Bruneel also pulled down six rebounds.
Nelson scored his career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. He also hit 2-of-4 3-point field goals and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Nelson pulled down a game-high seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
Marcel Davis also reached double-digit scoring with 10 points to go along with six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Jaden Jackson and Chad Ross each scored seven points.
Both teams were impressive from the field as the Wolverines connected on a 56.4 percent clip, and Southern Utah hit 51 percent of its shots. Utah Valley hit 7-of-13 shots from the beyond the arc, while Southern Utah made 9-of-19 shots from long range.
Utah Valley continues road play Wednesday as the Wolverines travel to Pocatello, Idaho, to take on Idaho State. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. MT, and will be broadcast live on 960 AM The Zone.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.