This wasn’t where the Utah Valley men’s basketball team wanted to be this week — but since the Wolverines get the chance to keep playing they appeared determined to make the most of it.

Led by a dominating 32-point offensive outburst from junior guard Justin Harmon, UVU went on the road and outhustled, outmuscled and outplayed No. 2-seeded New Mexico in Wednesday night’s NIT first round game at the Pit in Albuquerque, N.M.

The final score was 83-69 in favor of the Wolverines but the outcome wasn’t ever really in doubt after the first few minutes of the game.

“I’m proud of our guys,” UVU head coach Mark Madsen said after the game. “The ball was really moving out there. I was really proud of Justin Harmon. Ever since he’s come to campus, the wins have been stacking up for us. He’s a winner and came out tonight locked in. He brings our team a Chicago toughness. I was proud of every single player on this team. The guys that played and the guys that didn’t play.”

It was an excellent demonstration of heart and resiliency after the disappointing defeat to Southern Utah in the WAC tournament semifinals on March 10 ended the Wolverine dreams of their first NCAA Tournament berth.

Instead, UVU made the most of their opportunity to compete in the NIT. The victory improved the Wolverine record to 26-8 overall, making them the first team in UVU history to reach the 26-win mark.

The Wolverines also are an impressive 11-5 on the road. The 11 road wins are tied for the most road wins in the nation this season.

The Pit is known to be one of the tougher places to play in college basketball but UVU did everything right and took the home crowd out of the game early.

Neither the Wolverines nor New Mexico had much offensive rhythm in the first few minutes but a couple of transition baskets allowed the Lobos to go up 12-9 with 13 minutes left to play in the first half.

The game was tied at 14-14 a couple of minutes later when UVU senior guard Blaze Nield drained a tough, contested 3-pointer.

That sparked a 13-3 run for the Wolverines and UVU never looked back. The Lobos never got closer than eight points the rest of the way and the Wolverine lead ballooned to as many as 22 before finishing off the 14-point win.

UVU’s passing (19 assists) and shooting (34-of-72, 47.2%) kept New Mexico from playing at the tempo it wanted, while the frequent Lobo attempts to go one-on-one usually ended up in awkward shots. The Wolverines ended up outrebounding the Lobos, 49-38, and only gave up nine second-chance points.

UVU senior forward Tim Fuller recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The 14 points match a season high for the senior forward. Fuller also had two assists with a pair of blocks.

The Wolverines also got solid play from senior guard Trey Woodbury (10 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists) and sophomore center Aziz Bandaogo (eight points, 11 rebounds and a blocked shot).

With the win, UVU moves on the second round of the NIT as the team travels to Boulder, Colorado to take on Colorado on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPNU.

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