Orem, Utah - Julie McMurray's game winning three pointer rimmed in and out, giving Utah at 70-68 win over Utah Valley State in a thrilling double overtime heartbreaker on Friday night in Orem.
With leading scorers Robyn Fairbanks and Sandy Marvin fouled out of the game, freshmen Asumi Nakayama and McMurray combined to hit a trio of three pointers in the second overtime to nearly bring Utah Valley (2-1) back from behind against the Utes.
Utah (1-2) jumped to a quick lead in the second overtime, building a six-point edge with 1:05 left. Nakayama then nailed two treys while the Utes hit 2-of-4 foul shots to give the Wolverines a shot.
After Warburton's foul shot put the Utes up 70-68 with 10 seconds remaining. Nakayama found McMurray, who previously had cut the lead to one with a three pointer, for the final attempt.
"I'm proud of the kids. Utah is a very good team," said UV head coach Cathy Nixon. "I wanted to win and we weren't just trying to come close but I feel like we gave our chance to be successful. We have a very young team and they can be very proud of themselves."
Marvin led Utah Valley with 18 points while Hollie Beaman added 10. Rebekah Peterson added 10 points and nine rebounds, hitting 4-for-5 from the field including both three-pointers she attempted.
Warburton led all scorers with 25 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Kalee Whipple had a double double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for Utah.
Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with Utah hitting just 53.8% (14-for-26) and UV hitting 58.1% (18-for-31).
The Wolverines and Utes played tight in the early going. Robyn Fairbanks' jumper in the paint gave UV a 7-5 lead with 17:15 remaining in the first half. Over the next eight minutes, Utah went on a 12-0 run to build a double digit lead.
Behind Peterson's three-point shooting the Wolverines fought back, scoring eight consecutive points to cut the Utes' lead to 21-17 with 4:35 left in the period. Peterson nailed two consecutive three-pointers to spark Utah Valley.
Utah responded with another run of its own. The Utes finished the first half outscoring the Wolverines 11-5 to take a 32-22 lead to the break. Utah Valley missed four free throws in the last 2:20. UV had its poorest half of shooting, hitting on only 24 percent of its shots in the first half. Meanwhile, Utah hit on 46 percent of its shots.
Sandy Marvin and Peterson led the Wolverines with six points in the first half. Utah Valley played most of the first half without leading scorer, Fairbanks, who spent most of half on the bench with two fouls.
Utah Valley came out hustling in the second half, cutting into the Utes lead. The Wolverines defense smothered Utah offensively, holding the Utes to only one field goal in the first 9:21. Utah Valley also asserted itself in the post. With 11 minutes left in the game, Ashley Grimm hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 34 while capping a 12-2 run to start the half.
Behind Morgan Warburton, Utah came back with five straight points to regain the lead. Warburton scored all five of the Utes points on consecutive trips down the court.
Utah maintained its lead for four minutes before Utah Valley fought back. The Wolverines outscored the Utes 6-0 over the final 6:17 to tie the game at 48. Both teams had a shot down the stretch, but neither could score. Utah's Kalee Whipple missed two foul shots with 30 seconds remaining, giving the Wolverines the last shot. Marvin couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer, pushing the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, the two teams battled defensively. Peterson hit a jumper with 1:45 remaining to tie the game at 54. After Warburton hit a basket for the Utes, Utah Valley came back to score on a Marvin shot with 34 seconds left.
After the Wolverines held Utah to a shot clock violation, Utah Valley had to take the ball the length of the court with four seconds remaining. Marvin's 30-foot shot bounced off the front iron as time expired to force the second overtime.
Utah Valley will continue its home stand next week when it takes on San Diego State Wednesday, Southern Virginia on Friday and New Mexico State on Saturday. All three games will begin at 3:05pm.
