GRAND FORKS, N.D. - UND opens Great West Conference play on Saturday at preseason favorite Utah Valley. The top two teams in the GWC coaches' poll will tipoff at 8 p.m CT. 

All-time: Series tied 2-2

In Orem: Series tied 1-1

Last Meeting: Utah Valley won 67-64 (Feb. 19, 2011)

UND Head Coach Brian Jones vs. Utah Valley: 2-2

Utah Valley Head Coach Dick Hunsaker vs. UND: 2-2

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• UND opens Great West Conference play on Saturday at preseason favorite Utah Valley. The top two teams in the GWC coaches' poll will tipoff at 8 p.m CT. 

• The clubs will also close out their respective 10-game GWC schedule against each other in Grand Forks on March 3 before embarking on the Windy City for the league tournament March 8-10.

• UND is 2-0 all-time in GWC openers, including a 67-62 win at the UCCU Center over the Wolverines in what was the team's inaugural league game during the 2009-10 season.

• In 12 GWC road games over the last two seasons, UND is 6-6 overall.

• The Green and White dropped its regular season contest at UVU last season, falling to the Wolverines 67-64 in Orem on Feb. 19.

• The tight contest was foreshadowing for three weeks later when UND captured the GWC Tournament title on that same floor, winning the three games by a total of four points.

• UND is 4-2 all-time in the building and 1-1 against the Wolverines.

• UND has been the No. 3 seed in both GWC Tournaments and owns a 13-11 all-time record in league play.

• UND travels to Orem eyeing its first road win of the season after dropping eight in a row away from the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to start the season.

• A victory over the Wolverines would also give UND its first three-game winning streak of the season.

• With wins over Valley City State and North Dakota in the team's last two outings, UND has won back-to-back games for the first time since opening the season with victories over Waldorf College and Idaho State.

• Sophomore Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.) has averaged 16.0 ppg in those two victories and is shooting a GWC-best 69.8 percent from the field. 

• Brekke had a game-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the 59-54 victory over North Dakota State. He made is first five shots from the floor and finished with 12 of his team's 23 first-half points.

• Classmate Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) continued his torrid shooting pace as well, connecting on 4-of-6 from the floor and 4-of-5 free throws to finish with 12 points.

• Anderson is the top shooting guard in the GWC, drilling 54.8 percent of his field goals and 55.9 percent of his 3-pointers (19-for-34). 

• Senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) joined Anderson and Brekke in double figures with 10 points against the Bison. His putback with 53 seconds to play proved to be the decisive points in a five-point victory for UND at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

• UND improved to 13-6 all-time and 3-1 against NDSU in the main arena at the complex.

• Mitchell's 10 points moved him to within 15 of becoming the 31st player in UND history to score 1,000 points in their career. He also needs 29 rebounds to reach the 500 for his career in that category.

• Even though UND will no longer be conference affiliates with Utah Valley next season, the trips to Utah will not cease.  The Big Sky has a pair of members located in the Beehive State: Weber State and Southern Utah.  

Head coach Dick Hunsaker has the Wolverines off to a 10-10 start as they also begin Great West Conference play on Saturday. The GWC Preseason Player of the Year Isaih Williams is the team's leading scorer at 15.0 ppg, while classmate Geddes Robinson is the only player in the league averaging a double-double (10.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg). Those are the only two Wolverines scoring in double figures for Hunsaker.

Williams has attempted 53 more 3-pointers than the next closest GWC player (Brandon Provost, UTPA with 98). He is shooting 34.1 percent behind the arc, which is the 12th best percentage in the league.

The Wolveriens were picked to repeat as GWC regular season champions after posting an 11-1 record last season. UVU has four of its five starters back from that club with the only newcomer being Keith Thompson (8.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg). Thompson joins Williams and Robinson in the starting five along with the coaches' son, Holton Hunsaker, and big man Ben Aird. Aird leads the GWC in blocks with 33 (2.1/g) and his third in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. He is averaging 9.5 ppg.

UVU is riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak - its first of the season. Two of those wins were triumphs over Seattle in a recent home-and-home series with the Redhawks. The Wolverines dismantled NAIA Division II member Saint Mary (Kan.) in their final non-conference tune up on Wed., posting a season-high 98 points in the 26-point victory.

The road win at Seattle (Jan. 13) is one of just two recorded by GWC schools in preseason play. The league is a combined 2-55 on the road entering league action. NJIT owns the only other road win - a 54-53 win at Army. 

Feb. 19, 2011: UVU 67, UND 64 (click for recap)

Jan. 20, 2011: UVU 107, UND 96 (4ot) (click for recap)

Feb. 20, 2010: UND 74, UVU 58 (click for recap)

Jan. 14, 2010: UND 67,  UVU 62 (click for recap)

UND's quintet of Jamal Webb (Buffalo, N.Y.), Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, N.D.), Josh Schuler (Urbana, Ohio), Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.) produced 65.4 percent of UND's points a season ago, which was tops among any freshman class in the country. This season, that unit has upped that number to 69.2 percent of the team's scoring (754 of 1,096), but that sophomore unit has company at the top of the national charts. The Memphis sophomores, a unit UND edged out last season (63.9 percent as freshmen), is producing 71.2 percent (967of 1,358), but the top class on the block leading the way is North Dakota State's sophomores. Through games of Jan. 20, the Bison second-year players are scoring 77.6 percent (985 or 1,274) of the team's points.  UND and the Bison squared off on Tuesday (Jan. 17) with the home team picking up a 59-54 victory. UND's sophomores scored 45 points in the contest, while NDSU's tallied 48.

With three blocks against Sacramento State on Dec. 18, senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) moved into sole possession of second place on the UND career charts for blocked shots (chart to the right). Mitchell now has 139 for his career and ranks second in the GWC with a 1.6 bpg average (25 total). Former UND standout Chris Gardner has a firm grip on the top spot after netting 313 blocks during his career from 1990-94. The sharp-shooting forward has also moved up to sixth in career 3-pointers made this season, adding 32 more makes to his total (175). Mitchell is 25 makes away from reaching 200 for his career and the No. 3 spot on the list.

With 10 points in the victory over North Dakota State on Tuesday, senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) moved to within 15 points of becoming the 31st member of UND's 1,000-point club.  Right now, Mitchell is on pace to achieve the feat (if his 10.8 ppg average holds) at home vs. NJIT on Jan. 26. The last player to reach the elite club was a teammate of Mitchell's during his freshman and sophomore seasons - Travis Bledsoe (21st on the list; 1,130 points). Mitchell is also within striking distance of another career milestone as he needs 29 rebounds to reach 500 for his career. If he reaches both of those milestones and adds 11 more blocks, he would join Chris Gardner (1990-94) as the only other player in UND history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 150 blocks in a career.

With the departure of South Dakota to the Summit League this season, there are only six Great West basketball members remaining, which leads to only a 10-game conference slate during what will be UND's final campaign in the league. The UND coaches did their best to simulate the 20-game conference slate that they will be facing next season when they join the Big Sky by scheduling a trio of home-and-home series with non-conference opponents. One of those opponents — Idaho State — is a member of the Big Sky, while Western Illinois and South Dakota State are both members of the Summit League. UND finished that six-game stretch with a 4-2 record. The Big Sky and Summit League were also the conference affiliation for a majority of UND's non-conference games this season. UND finished 2-2 against its future league foes, defeating Montana and Idaho State at home. The squad lost road tilts at Idaho State and Sacramento State. Against the Summit League, UND also finished with a 2-4 record. Those two wins did come against the No. 2 and 3 teams in the current Summit League standings, however.  UND defeated both South Dakota State (second, 7-1) and North Dakota State (third, 6-2) at home.

Grand Forks, N.D. - It was only fitting that the North Dakota player with the strongest ties to the storied UND-North Dakota State basketball rivalry came through with the biggest performance on Tuesday night.

Sophomore forward Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.), whose father, uncle and aunt all played in the rivalry for UND, led all players with 17 points to carry his team to a 59-54 victory. The game was the first between the two rivals in Grand Forks in eight years and drew 7,169 vociferous fans to Ralph Engelstad Arena.

UND improved to 8-9 overall, while the Bison fell to 13-5 following a game that witnessed 11 lead changes and eight ties. The different home venue did not keep the team from improving its record in those tilts to 8-1 on the campaign.

Brekke finished 8-for-11 from the field, but nailed arguably his biggest basket from the free throw line. With the teams deadlocked at 52-52 with 2:14 remaining, Brekke drained the front end of a pair of free throw shots after a flagrant foul, giving UND the lead for good.

Senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) extended the lead to 55-52 with just 54 seconds left, putting back his own miss to give his squad what was then its largest lead of the game.Sophomore guards Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Josh Schuler (Urbana, Ohio) secured the win when each hit a pair of free throws in the final 18 seconds.

Anderson and Schuler finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Jamal Webb (Buffalo, N.Y.) added a team-leading seven rebounds and five assists to go with his three points. Schuler's 11 points came off the UND bench and was his first double-digit scoring game in 10 contests. Sophomore Marshall Borklund led NDSU with 13 points, and reserve guard Mike Felt added 12 - on all on 3-point baskets.

UND shot 42 percent (21-for-50) from the field, while the Bison connected on a season-low 32.8 percent (19-58). It was the second straight contest UND held a team to a season-low shooting effort and point total (Valley City State).

The Bison took a four-point lead into halftime thanks to a jumper by freshman Lawrence Alexander, who was just inside the arc when his shot went through with two seconds to play to make it a 27-23 contest. Neither team shot well in the opening 20 minutes as UND made just 9-of-23 attempts from the floor, while NDSU went 10-for-28.

Brekke, who made his first five shots from the floor, finished the half 6-for-7 to keep UND within striking distance. As efficient as Brekke was from the floor, he missed his three free throw attempts as UND connected on only 4-for-9 from the stripe, while NDSU went 4-for-4 in the opening 20 minutes.

NDSU led by as many as five points on six occasions, but the visitors' lead would never grow larger as UND always had an answer. Schuler sparked the final lead change with a 3-pointer at the 5:50 mark and reserve center Mitch Wilmer (Warroad, Minn.) capped a 7-0 run with two big free throws. UND went 8-for-11 from the stripe in the second half.

The Bison tied it one more time at 52-52, but Webb registered one of his three steals in the victory setting up a fast break chance for Brekke, who was intentionally fouled on the play. He made his only free throw of the night to give UND the lead for good.