Orem, Utah - Utah Valley University, an NCAA Division I school and member of the Great West Conference, led 47-31 at halftime after a 25-8 run over the last nine minutes, and built its advantage to 30 points late in the second half on its way to a 96-70 exhibition men's basketball victory over Arizona Christian University (1-0) in the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah, Saturday, Nov. 17. Utah Valley evened its record at 2-2, while ACU counts the game as an exhibition that does not count against its season record or team and individual statistics. 

Led by first-year head coach Jeff Rutter, ACU plays its first home game of the season, Tuesday, November 20, when the Firestorm host Chapman University (Calif.) for a 7:30 p.m. game in Fultz Memorial Gymnasium on the ACU campus. ACU hits the road during Thanksgiving Weekend for a pair of games at the Menlo College Classic in Atherton, California, Nov. 23-24. The Firestorm takes on Menlo College, Friday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. Arizona time, Friday, and California State University-Maritime on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m.; Arizona time. 

Arizona Christian trailed 13-6 with 15:42 left in the first half but outscored Utah Valley, 9-2, and tied the game at 15 with 12:38 remaining. UVU went ahead 20-15 at 11:33, but again ACU fought back and went ahead for the first time, 21-20, with 9:48 left in the first half. After ACU's 23-22 lead with nine minutes left, the Wolverines began a 25-8 run and led 47-31 at intermission. ACU scored just two points in the final 3:31 while UVU scored 10. 

6-9 senior forward Nick Thompson scored 11 points in the first half, and 6-9 junior center Ben Aird added eight for UVU, while junior guard Mason Jones (Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View H.S./Eastern Oregon Univ.) led ACU with eight first-half points. Utah Valley shot .528 from the field (18-34) and went 2-for-6 from three-point range in the first half, and ACU shot .389 (14-36) and missed all 10 of its three-point field goal attempts. 

The Wolverines outscored ACU, 11-2, in the first three minutes of the second half and led 58-33, its biggest lead to that point of the game. UVU stretched the lead to 30 points, 88-58, with 6:23 left in the game. 

Junior guard Jordan Block (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Claremont H.S./Pasadena City College) led the Firestorm with 14 points and made 8 of his 10 free throws, gathered seven rebounds and stole the ball four times. Mason Jones finished with 11 points, one three-pointer, four assists and two steals, and junior guard Charles King (Houston, Tex./Stephen F. Austin H.S./Phoenix College) added eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior guard A.J. Koch (Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells H.S.) contributed eight points, with six points on a pair of three-pointers in the second half, three rebounds and four assists, and junior forward Daniel Cornelius (Phoenix, Ariz./Phoenix Christian H.S.) added seven points. Reserve guard Greg Womack (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North H.S./Maryland-Eastern Shore) also scored eight points and made 2 three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and passed two assists, and sophomore forward Bryant Avent (Phoenix, Ariz./Valley Christian H.S.) contributed six points, two rebounds and one steal. Freshman forward Mike Navar (Chino, Calif./Chino Hills H.S.) finished with five points, three rebounds and one steal. 

Five Utah Valley players reached double figures in scoring, with Thompson leading all scorers in the game with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Aird finished with 17 points, thjree rebounds and three blocked shots, and reserve guard Taylor Brown contributed 15 points, nine in the second half, 2 three-pointers, three assists and two steals. Forward Alfonzo Hubbard totaled 14 points, one three-pointer, five rebounds and one steal, and reserve guard Keawe Enos added 10 points, 2 three-pointers, four rebounds and one steal.