OREM, Utah - Three Utah Valley State seniors won their last home game in style as the Wolverines erased a two-point half time deficit to run away from North Dakota State 76-57 at the McKay Events on Friday.
Miriam Palkki, Kaydee Allred and Jessica Scabby all saw playing time in season's home finale. Palkki scored in double figures, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists, while Allred had a team-high 10 rebounds and added four points. Utah Valley State head coach Cathy Nixon is pleased to see her seniors go out with a victory.
"I can't say enough about what they have done for this growing program," she said. "They have perspective on every step from junior college until now. No other class will have this type of growing experience."
The Wolverines (11-14) trailed 27-25 at the half before putting together a furious second half that helped four players score in double figures. Utah Valley outscored the Bison 51-30 in the second half en route to a comfortable victory.
The game started with an early 7-2 run gave the Wolverines a 7-4 lead four minutes in the game. Utah Valley distributed the ball well early as three different Wolverines scored their first three field goals.
As defense settled in the two teams played evenly for the remainder of the first half. Both the Wolverines and Bison went three minutes without making a field goal attempt.
After Robyn Fairbanks cashed in a three-point play to give Utah Valley a 19-18 lead with 4:53 left, North Dakota responded with a 7-0 run over the next 3:30 to take a game-high six point lead.
The Wolverines ended the first half on a roll, out scoring the Bison 6-2 over the final 1:21. The run was capped off as Palkki nailed a six-foot jumper with five seconds remaining to cut the halftime deficit to 27-25.
Neither team shot well in the first half. Utah Valley shot 33 percent from the field, including 0-for-8 behind the three point line. North Dakota shot just 32 percent.
The Wolverines anemic first-half shooting turned red-hot in the second half. Just 15 seconds into the half, Hollie Beaman nailed a three-pointer that seemed to open the flood gates for Utah Valley. The Wolverines had runs of 14-4 and 7-0 that quickly buried North Dakota State.
"I was pleased with the way we committed ourselves defensively in the second half," Nixon said. "Our defense and rebounding led to a good offensive output."
In the first 8:40 of the second half, Utah Valley State eclipsed its scoring total from the entire first half.
The Wolverines were led in scoring by Sandy Marvin, who scored 19. Fairbanks added 14 and eight rebounds. Rebekah Peterson also scored in double figures with 10 points, all scored in a four minute span in the second half.
Utah Valley State will finish its season with two games on the road. The Wolverines next play at IPFW Wednesday before wrapping the 2005-06 season at Texas-Pan American on Saturday, March 4th.
