This Week's Action ...
The Wolverines (2-4) went 1-2 last week against Westminster, Boise State, and Oregon State. Utah Valley State will have two games this week hosting Idaho on Thursday, December 8th at 7:05pm in the McKay Center, and then traveling north to Logan to take on in-state rival Utah State on Saturday, December 10th at 3:00pm. Both games can be heard through a live audio broadcast by going to: wolverinegreen.com on Thursday and utahstateaggies.com on Saturday.
For the first time all year Coach Cathy Nixon started four freshman in the Wolverine's last game against Oregon State. Robyn Fairbanks, Sandy Marvin, Hollie Beaman, and Ashley Grimm got the call alongside senior Miriam Palkki. Fairbanks led the way with a team-high 16 points, for the Wolverines while Palkki had 14 and Marvin recorded 11. Grimm finished with seven points and Beaman finished the night with three to round out the starting lineup.
Fairbanks continues to lead Utah Valley State in scoring averaging 14.2 ppg, Marvin is a close second at 12.8 ppg, and Palkki puts up an average of 11.8 ppg. Rebekah Fales has been solid off the bench for the Wolverines, averaging 7.5 ppg. Fairbanks also leads the boards battle, averaging 8.7 rebounds per contest.
Last Time Out ...
After giving themselves an opportunity to win late, the Utah Valley State women's basketball team fell 63-56 to Oregon State Saturday evening in Orem. A game that will have to be chalked up as a learning experience for the young Wolverines, it was neck and neck the entire second half before the Beavers made the big plays down the stretch.
The biggest play of the game came on an offensive rebound by Oregon State's Casey Nash with just over a minute to go. Nash scored on the rebound and was fouled, giving the Beavers a four-point lead that the Wolverines could not recover from.
Utah Valley State struggled from the field shooting just 31.9% compared to 41.1% by the Beavers, but stayed in the game by shooting 21-25 (84%) from the free throw line and playing aggressive defense.
Robyn Fairbanks led Utah Valley with 16 points while Miriam Palkki scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Ashley Grimm had seven points and eight rebounds in her first start of the season. In fact, Nixon started four freshman for the first time, and they each contributed in different ways. In addition to Fairbanks and Grimm, Sandy Marvin chipped in 11 and Hollie Beaman dished out six assists.
After winning just six games total a season ago, the win improves Oregon State to 4-1 with their only loss coming at #25 Utah on Thursday.
Scouting the Opposition ...
Idaho comes into the McKay Center on Thursday with a 3-4 overall record, and are currently on a two-game skid. The Vandals started off the season off 2-0, and since then have lost four of their next five games. Idaho leads the overall series 1-0 over UV.
Idaho has two players averaging in double figure points. They are: Emily Faurholt (19.5 ppg) and Leilani Mitchell (16.0 ppg). Faurholt was announced as a candidate for the 2005-06 Bayer Advantage Class Award - the nation's premier tribute to college seniors. Mitchell is currently listed on the "2006 Player Buzz" section of www.pointguard.org the official website of the Nancy Lieberman Award which honors the top point guard in the country.
Utah State is still looking for its first win of the season, and currently sit at 0-4. The Aggies host the Air Force Academy on Thursday night before welcoming the Wolverines to Logan on Saturday. USU leads the overall series 1-0 over UV.
The Aggies also have two players who average double digit points, in Ali Marchant and Brittany Hagen. Marchant puts up 13.0 ppg, while Hagen has averaged 12.3 during the first four games. Marchant also pulls down a team-high 8.8 boards per game.
With the current 0-4 start to the season, the Aggies are currently riding an eight game losing streak dating back to last season. USU's last win came at home against Cal State Fullerton (72-64) on February 19, 2005.
Up Next:
The Wolverines will play in-state neighbor BYU in Provo at the Marriott Center on December 17th at 3:00pm.
