Nov. 11, 2006
Box Score
Orem, Utah - Utah Valley State scored the third most points in a game in school history as the Wolverines (1-0) raced past Mesa State, 101-82, in a fast-paced season opener.
"I was mostly happy with our overall effort," Utah Valley coach Cathy Nixon said. "Every kid was ready to go and worked hard. But, we weren't disciplined for large portions of the game and that is something we need to fix."
Sandy Marvin and Robyn Fairbanks each scored a team-high 25 points. Fairbanks led the Wolverines with seven rebounds. Utah Valley had a total of four players in double figure with Hollie Beaman adding 16 points and seven assists. All of Beaman's 16 came in the second half. Asumi Nakayama led the team with eight assists and six steals while adding eight points on 3-for-3 shooting.
"Asumi is going to provide a great addition to our team," Nixon said. "She just has an overall good grasp on the game."
As a team, the Wolverines shot a single-game team record 61 percent from the field while dishing out another team record 31 assists.
Fairbanks and the Wolverines got off to a quick start, scoring 10 points straight to jump to a 10-3 lead. Fairbanks scored Utah Valley's first seven points.
After a pair of baskets by the Mavericks, UV went on another run, outscoring Mesa State 10-2 over a three-minute stretch. Julie McMurray's bucket with 11:23 remaining in the half gave the Wolverines their largest first-half lead at 25-10.
Aided by foul shots, Mesa State began to claw its way back into the game. The Mavericks scored seven straight points, five of which came off free throws to cut the UV lead to 26-19 with 9:15 remaining in the first half. The Mavericks shout 12 foul shots in the first half compared to just three Wolverines' charity throws.
With Utah Valley State up 35-24, Mesa State finished the half on a 16-8 run. Asumi Nakayama had a pretty lay-up in the final seconds of the half to give the Wolverines a 43-40 lead at the break. Utah Valley shot well in the first half, hitting on 58 percent of its shots including 5-for-10 behind the three-point line. Mesa State shot even better behind the arc, hitting on 5-of-7 shots.
In the second half, the two teams got off to a fast pace, switching baskets in the first four minutes of the half. With Utah Valley ahead 53-52, the Wolverines went on a 17-6 run to pull away in the second half. The Mavericks never recovered. The UV run was due to several steals and fast-break points. The Wolverines scored on five consecutive lay-ups over a two-minute span. Marvin and Beaman each scored on four breakaway layups in the second half.
The game turned even more lopsided when the Wolverines went on a 14-5 over a three-minute span to jump to a 90-67 lead with four minutes remaining.
Utah Valley State continues its home stand when it welcomes Utah State to the McKay Center Nov. 14. Tip time is 7:05 (MST). The Wolverines will play a total of seven consecutive home games before their first road trip.
