Dixie State could not slow down a hot-shooting Utah Valley side as the Trailblazers dropped their fourth-straight, 79-71, in the renewal of the "Old Hammer Rivalry" on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center. 

Utah Valley (11-4/2-1 WAC) came out on fire, hitting 11 of its first 14 shots with five 3-pointers to put Dixie State into an early 30-11 hole with 11 minutes gone in the opening half.
 
The Trailblazers (7-9/0-3 WAC) managed to keep UVU within their sights, thanks in large part to the bench play of Jacob Nicolds and Isaiah Pope, as the duo combined for 14 of DSU's 32 first half points. Pope did his damage late in the frame as he scored seven of the Blazers' final eight points in the frame, including a clutch 3-pointer before the halftime horn to cut the Wolverine lead to 46-32 at the intermission.
 
Dixie State kept that momentum going to begin the second half, scoring six unanswered points to pare the deficit to single digits at 46-38 with 17:50 to play. Cameron Gooden banked home a driving lay-up, while Dancell Leter knocked down a baseline jumper ahead of a Hunter Schofield offensive board and put back. 
 
UVU quickly countered with six-straight points of its own and would extend its lead to 16 at 58-42 after a Fardaws Aimaq basket at the 13:03 mark. 
 
Trailing 72-59 with under three minutes to play, Dixie State made one final run, outscoring the Wolverines 10-3 to make it a two-possession game at 75-69. Pope scored six points in the rally, thanks in part to a pair of steals and breakaway lay-ins, while Trevon Allfrey pulled DSU to within six with a bucket with 37 second left.
 
UVU, which went without a field goal over the final 5:10 of the game, kept the Blazers at bay at the foul line. The Wolverines hit on 11-of-14 at the stripe down the stretch, including their final six, to close out the win.
 
Four Trailblazers scored in double figures, led by Frank Staine with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting with two 3-pointers. Staine also led the the Blazers' defensive effort with a career-high five steals. Pope finished with season-high 13 points, while Nicolds added 12 points on 4-of-5 from the floor, and Gooden wound up with 11.

Dixie State connected on 41.7 percent of its shots (25-of-60) and went 7-of-26 (.269) from the perimeter, but was 6-of-17 from downtown after a chilly 1-of-9 start. DSU also hit on 14-of-21 66.7 percent from the line (14-of-21) and was outrebounded by a 35-29 count.  
 
Aimaq, who is the NCAA D-I leader in double-doubles, posted his 13^th of the season with game highs of 20 points and 17 rebounds. UVU shot a blistering 63.0 percent (29-of-46) for the game, including a 46.7 percent (6-of-21) clip from beyond the arc. 

Dixie State continues its road swing next Wednesday, Jan. 12, when the Blazers head to Riverside for a road date at California Baptist. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (PT), at the CBU Events Center.