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Show Toolson scores 63 on way to landmark victory It took four overtime periods for senior guard Ryan Toolson to score a school-record 63 points and lead Utah Valley University (10-8) to a 123-121 win at Chicago State (11-11) Thursday on the Cougars' home floor. Toolson had 42 points in regulation and played all 60 minutes in the game. His 63-point performance is the highest total for any NCAA Division I player in the nation this season, and his last two points of the game came with 2.3 seconds left on the clock for the win. "This was a wonderful game," UVU coach Dick Hunsaker said. "I'm so happy for our players. I feel bad for Chicago State, and it's a shame both teams couldn't have won tonight. Ryan Toolson was incredible. It's a thrill and an honor to be a part of this game." Five Wolverines finished in double figures in the historic game. Junior guard Tyray Petty scored 15 points, junior forward Jordan Swarbrick scored 13, junior forward Jourdain Scoubes had 12, and senior guard Josh Olsen finished with 10. Not only did Toolson score 63 points, but he also had 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and chipped in six assists. He also finished the game 20-21 from the free-throw line. Toolson kept the Wolverines in the game in the first half nearly single-handedly. Utah Valley fell behind by as many as 10 points in the opening period, but Toolson scored 19 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead his team to a complete comeback in the half. The Wolverines took a one-point lead at 29-28 thanks to two Toolson free throws, and went to the locker room down only two points at 34-36. The Wolverines built up their own 12-point lead in the second half, but Chicago State was'able to come from nine points down in the final Injury bug deflating Jazz playoff hopes sens return eads UVU to victory Sports editor With Deron Williams sidelined by a sprained ankle, the Utah Jazz got off to a modest start this season. When Carlos Boozer landed awkwardly on his left knee, fans began to worry, and now that Andrei Kirilenko has been sidelined with injury, the season appears to be lost. With football season officially in the books (unless you count the Pro Bowl) it's time to shift attention to the NBA and specifically the Utah Jazz. However, as the Jazz struggle to find a playoff spot, the season, with the loss of Boozer and Kirilenko, may not pan out the way Jazz fans had hoped. After falling to the Lakers in last year's playoffs, the Jazz wanted nothing more than to come back better than ever and make another playoff run. Currently the Jazz are on the outside looking in at the playoff party, but are hoping the anticipated return of Boozer after knee surgery could spur on Utah's playoff push. Boozer underwent surgery just after the New Year and hopes to be back by the All-Star break. That would leave Utah less than half the season to stake its claim as a playoff team. That is if Boozer comes back as expected. Considering his history, it's known that Boozer is a slow healer and will also need to get back into game shape in a hurry for Utah to have a chance. In his absence, reserve power forward Paul Millsap has made a name for himself, having been thrust into the starting role. Millsap has put up sensational numbers, averaging just over 15 points and nearly 10 boards a game to keep the Jazz afloat. Williams and Jazz big man Mehmet Okur have also been doing their best to keep the Jazz competitive. However, merely being competitive is not good enough for a team with the history and tradition of the Utah Jazz. three minutes to tie the game and send it to the first overtime. As it was, play continued for three more over time periods. At the end of regulation the score was tied at 7979. It was then tied at 91-91 after one overtime, 104-104 after two, and 114-114 after three before UVU pulled out the 123-121 win at the end of the fourth overtime. Sports editor Utah Valley guard Josh Olsen, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle, made his first start since the injury and led the Wolverines to a runaway 55-39 win over Savannah State. With UVU's leading scorer Ryan Toolson held in check with only five points, Olsen made it his duty to put the ball in the hole as he picked up the slack with 15 points to go along with four assists. "Savannah is very physical, very hard nosed and very competitive," UVU coach Dick Hunsaker said. "They are extremely well coached and well disciplined. We knew it was going to be a tough battle. I was pleased that we were able to withstand the physicality, and I thought we played hard in the game." Most of that praise should be attributed to Olsen who was 4-of-5 from behind the arc. His toughness and solid play as the Wolverine point guard sometimes gets overlooked with Toolson playing in the other guard slot. However, Olsen has no qualms and Dave Iba/ UVU Review See OLSEN • 66 Josh Olsen, fresh off an injury, drives to the basket in the Wolverines 55-39 win over Savannah State. Kjara perfect fit at UVU Sports writer Heavily recruited Ben Kjar is a perfect fit for UVU. Kjar, a sophomore from Centerville, sees wrestling strictly as a team sport, though he excels alone as an AIl-American. He started taking wrestling seriously when wrestling coach Greg Williams began training him. It was the hours of coaching on the mat that fueled such strong-willed competition in Kjar. It's ironic that the two would find themselves working together on a goal not to wrestle for a college team but build a program at UVU together. After returning from serving an LDS mission in Tucson, Arizona, Kjar found himself with some hard decisions to make. It was either go to a thriving Boise State program or go to UVU to build a program with a new head coach. Kjar chose UVU. To make things interesting, Kjar, knowing how badly coach Williams wanted him to go to UVU, decided to play a joke on his soon-to-be new coach. "I don't want to brag, but let me tell you how clever I am," Kjar said. "After I Ben Kjar knew I was supposed to go to UVU and work under Greg, I called Greg. We chatted a little bit. I told him I wanted to go to Boise and I asked him, 'What do you think about me going to Boise, Greg?'." Coach Williams responded, "Oh, that's a good decision for you. That's a good school." Kjar then asked, "What would you say if I told you I was lying to you?" Williams, after a few threats said to Kjar, said, "I knew you were coining here! I knew it!" "It helped that I became coach and because of our relationship," said Williams in regards to bringing Kjar to UVU. "It helped our situation because when he got his answer to come here, he knew he was supposed to come to UVU to build this program." Coach Williams says Kjar is the "cornerstone to this program." The key for a successful program is that we are a team. One guy is not going to make a team great. But William's philosophy is that Kjar can set the tone for the team and become an example for the rest of the already skillful team. "Ben is our first AilAmerican, and they look at how he trained and how he got there," Williams said. "So the next guy that wants to be All-American is going to look at how he got there and how he trained." Kjar is dedicated and passionate. His wrestling even applies to his life and his goals. "One thing I've learned ever since I was little was wrestling is a lifestyle," he said. "Because how you wrestle in practice is a how you're going to do outside of practice. When I've been slow practicing I will probably do it in life as well. In wrestling I like to be on top of things and I like to be aggressive, and I think in life I am the same way." ..A.. |