The Utah Valley University men's basketball team continues WAC play at home Saturday when the Wolverines host Missouri-Kansas City. The game begins at 8:30 p.m. MT, and will be broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network, which can be found locally on KMYU.
Missouri-Kansas City heads into Saturday night's game with an 8-14 overall record. The team owns a 3-2 WAC mark. The team had won three-straight games before taking a 78-57 loss at Grand Canyon on Thursday night. Sophomore guard Martez Harrison led UMKC with 13 points against Grand Canyon on Thursday night. He knocked down 4-of-9 shots from the field, went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc and hit 5-of-7 free throws. UMKC's biggest win of the season thus far was a 69-61 win over instate SEC rival Missouri on Nov. 14.
Harrison leads the Kangaroos in scoring at 18.6 points per game, which ranks him second in the WAC. He leads the WAC in steals, averaging 1.91 per contest, and ranks third in assists at 3.64 per contest. Senior guard Frank Williams helps in scoring at 7.8 points a game. Freshman forward Darius Austin leads the team on the boards at 5.2 rebounds a game. As a team, UMKC is averaging 66.5 points a contest while holding opponents to a 69.8 average.
"UMKC will throw multiple defensive looks at us," Utah Valley head coach Dick Hunsaker said. "They are a very good perimeter shooting team. (Martez) Harrison will be a handful for us. We haven't found a way to contain him yet."
Utah Valley plays Missouri-Kansas City for the 10th time on Saturday night. The Wolverines hold a 6-3 all-time series lead over the Kangaroos. The two teams split their first-ever WAC series last year with each team winning on its home floor. UVU defeated UMKC, 66-48, at home on Jan. 24, while UMKC downed the Wolverines, 74-56, in Kansas City on Feb. 22.
Utah Valley enters Saturday night's game with an 8-11 overall record. The team owns a 3-2 WAC record with wins over Seattle U, Texas-Pan American and Chicago State. Utah Valley is 5-3 at home this season.
Marcel Davis led Utah Valley with 19 points, and Zach Nelson recorded his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 78-62 win over Chicago State on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
Davis scored his 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. He also knocked down 9-of-13 free throws and dished out a season-high seven assists with a steal. Nelson scored his 16 points on a 6-of-7 clip from the field, including a 2-of-3 mark from long range. Nelson also recorded a career-high four blocks in the victory.
Through 19 games this season, senior forward Mitch Bruneel leads the Wolverines in scoring at 12.9 points per contest and rebounding at 6.3 boards a game. Williams also averages double figures at 10.4 points a contest. Davis fronts the team in assists at 3.7 per game.
A radio broadcast of Saturday's game will also be available on ESPN 960 AM.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.