Opponent: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Date: February 16, 2006
Location: Orem, Utah (McKay Center)
Time: 7:05pm MST
This Week's Action ...
Five games remain for Utah Valley State in the 2005-06 season, beginning with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night. The game can be heard live by going to Utah Valley's website (WolverineGreen.com) and clicking on the live link on the left side of the page.
The Wolverines are coming off the their first road win of the season and their first road win ever over an NCAA Division-I opponent when they knocked off Northern Colorado last Saturday 75-73.
Corpus Christi is coming off of its worst home loss of the season, a 71-48 defeat at the hands of Independent South Dakota State. The Islanders are in their last season without a conference and will join the Southland Conference in the 2006-07 season.
Newcomer of the Week ...
Freshman Hollie Beaman was named D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week after her leading the Wolverines to the win at Northern Colorado. She scored 21 points to go along with seven assists and four rebounds. It's the second time that Beaman has won the award this season.
Robyn Fairbanks scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her 8th double double of the season. She was nominated for Independent Player of the Week, an award she has won twice so far this season. She is also a two-time winner of the newcomer award.
Senior Miriam Palkki has won the Player of the Week award one time.
Independents Update ...
Utah Valley State is currently 2-0 against D-I Independents with five more games to go. As of Wednesday, Fairbanks leads all Independent players in both scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg) and is third in both field goal percentage (.514) and blocks per game (1.23).
There are several other Wolverines who are among the leaders as well including Beaman, who is second in assists per game with a 4.36 average and eighth in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.369). Palkki is 16th in scoring among Independent players (10.8) and fourth in rebounding (7.0 rpg). Sandy Marvin is seventh in free throw shooting (.793) and 15th in scoring (10.9) while Rebekah Peterson is ninth in steals (1.55 spg).
Last Time Out ...
Utah Valley State scored an upset win at Northern Colorado last Saturday 75-73, for its first road win of the season and first road win over a Division-I team in the school's short NCAA history.
"It feels good, especially with the circumstances of the game because it did not come easy," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon. "It was a battle and the girls dug down deep and found ways to win. I'm so happy for the players because they've worked so hard."
Robyn Fairbanks hit 11-for-17 from the field, scoring 23 points while pulling down 10 rebounds and Beaman added 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with seven assists and four rebounds.
After trailing 68-66 with 2:05 to go, Utah Valley went on an 8-0 run over the next 1:45 to clinch the victory. Kaydee Allred then hit two free throws to tie the game at 66 with 1:55 left.
Fairbanks then scored two straight baskets on assists from Beaman to give the Wolverines a 72-68 lead. Beaman closed out the run with two free throws with :20 seconds on the clock to help seal the win.
"They were both great," said Nixon of the Fairbanks and Beaman. "Robyn's so steady and Hollie scored when we were unable to get the ball inside."
"We kept our composure and knew what we had to do," said Beaman. "We took control and didn't let the game just happen to us."
Beaman began the game on fire, hitting four of her first five shots including 3-for-3 from the three-point line while scoring the first 11 points of the game for Utah Valley.
UNC freshman Jabrenta Hubbard led all scorers with a career-high 34 points, hitting 14-of-26 from the field to go along with five steals.
Scouting the Opposition ...
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is led by Terra Andrews, who leads the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 ppg). Those numbers are good enough for third among all Independent players.
Andrews scored 19 points in a 71-48 loss Monday to South Dakota State while Monica Pena added 12 for the Islanders.
TAMUCC will return to Orem where they swept through the competition with ease last March at the D-I Independent Championships.
The Islanders defeated Utah Valley State, IPFW and Northern Colorado on their way to the championship.
TAMUCC also made its first trip to the postseason, reaching the 2nd round of the WNIT while setting a school record with 23 wins.
Up Next ...
The Wolverines will host Northern Colorado next Tuesday, February 21st at 4:30pm in the McKay Center. The Utah Valley State men will also play that night against Idaho State at 7:05pm in what will be senior night for the men. Senior night for the women's team will be Friday, February 24th against North Dakota State.
