UVSC tops NAIA foe

OREM — With Utah Valley State playing an NAIA team, coach Dick Hunsaker was able to tweak his lineup to get a better look at his players under game conditions.

Hunsaker benched three of his regular starters, but Jordan Brady and Ryan Toolson didn't seem to skip a beat.

It was a safe bet as UVSC (3-2) rolled to an 86-57 win over Great Falls on Saturday.

"You are playing a non-DI team," Hunsaker said. "We got different guys into the ball game."

Toolson scored 22 points in leading the Wolverines. Brady was two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight and put in 14 points.

The standout on the afternoon for UVSC, though, was Jabir Jinna, coming off the bench and scoring 15. All of Jinna's points from the field came from beyond the 3-point line as he shot 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.

"They were just open shots," Jinna said.

It was Jinna's first breakout game for UVSC since transferring from Rio Hondo College in Whittier, Calif.

"He can shoot the ball and do some things for us," Hunsaker said. "We have to translate that now into the next level that we are playing against."

Forcing turnovers was the key as the Wolverines turned 18 Argonaut miscues into 29 points.

It was a welcome change from the first three games, in which UVSC averaged more than 20 turnovers.

"The emphasis is in practice," Jinna said. "It was kind of embarrassing turning over the ball so many times."

Utah Valley State outshot Great Falls from the field by shooting 49.1 percent compared to the Argonauts' 36.5.

Great Falls hung close as Utah Valley State held a 23-21 lead with 5:44 left in the first half. But an 18-4 run by the Wolverines gave them a 41-25 lead at halftime.

The Wolverines put away Great Falls by going on a 13-4 run that ate up nearly the first 10 minutes of the second half.

As expected with the benching of Brady and Toolson, UVSC's reserves outscored Great Falls' 56-19.

The Argonauts were led by Cory Brothers' 18 points.

Matt Niemeyer had a game-high 10 rebounds for Great Falls.