Nov. 29, 2006
Box Score
Orem, Utah -It was a record-breaking day for two Utah Valley State players as Robyn Fairbanks and Sandy Marvin led the Wolverines past Boise State, 81-66.
"I am really proud of the way the kids responded," head coach Cathy Nixon said. "We sustained things on the defensive side after we went cold. Most importantly, we got it done when we needed to."
Fairbanks set a school record by pulling down 20 rebounds while Marvin had a career-high 28 points including a perfect 13-for-13 at the foul line and 3-for-3 behind the three-point arc. Fairbanks led Utah Valley with 29 points.
"I'm glad she is on our team," Nixon said of Fairbanks. "She has such incredible hands and the great thing is she is working hard to get better. People are trying to do everything they can to stop her."
The victory was the first in the series history for UV as the Broncos won the first three games by an average of over 31 points.
"[The difference] was our mentality," Marvin said. "We were ready to fight and we hit them first."
Fairbanks and Marvin got off to fast starts for the Wolverines, leading UV to an early. Boise State led 6-4 when Fairbanks hit a three-pointer to give the Wolverines a 7-6 lead with 17:09 left in the first half. The Broncos would not take the lead again.
The Fairbanks three-point shot would start a 14-0 Utah Valley run. During the run, the Wolverines held Boise State without a basket for 5:10 while building an 18-6 lead with 13:02 remaining in the first half.
The Broncos came back with a run of their own, cutting Utah Valley's lead to 22-17 with 7:56 left in the half. Boise State held the Wolverines without a point for nearly four minutes to propel its run.
With the Wolverines ahead 33-32, they finished the half on an 11-0 run. Marvin had four of Utah Valley's final six points to close out the half.
The game got physical in the second half as UV was able to maintain its big lead early in the half.
The two teams traded baskets over the first 10 minutes of the second half. With Utah Valley leading 62-49, Boise State went on an 11-0 run to cut the Wolverines' lead to just two points. Five of the Broncos points came from the foul line while Utah Valley didn't score over a five-minute stretch.
Asumi Nakayama ended the Broncos streak with a foul shot. Nakayama's foul shot started a 6-0 Utah Valley run that culminated when Marvin scored on a three-point play. The Wolverines eight-point lead proved insurmountable as Boise State never cut the lead below eight points. Utah Valley made its free throws down the stretch to hold on to the win.
The Wolverines will head out on the road for the first time when they travel to take on Idaho State on Saturday. Tip time is 2:05 (MST).
"The real test comes on the road, where we have not been successful at all," Nixon said. "To deserve the respect we want, we have to maintain this on the road."
