Jan. 25, 2007

Orem, Utah - Utah Valley State battled to the final possession against South Dakota State, losing 79-78 in a back-and-forth game that was decided at the foul line.

"I was pleased with the last nine days of practice," head coach Cathy Nixon said. "I think our kids fought hard against one of the best teams we played."

The loss was the sixth straight for the Wolverines (10-9) while the Jacks improved to 14-5 with the victory. Utah Valley has lost four games by two points or less. Robyn Fairbanks led Utah Valley with 27 points while Hollie Beaman recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Megan Vogel led the way for SDSU with 19 points.

South Dakota State jumped out to an early lead, jumping out to an 18-10 advantage on an Andrea Verdegan three-point play.

Midway through the opening half the Wolverines began to cut away at the lead. Fairbanks hit a pair of foul shots to cut the Jacks' lead to 26-23 with 6:21 remaining in the first half.

With SDSU ahead 30-25, the Wolverines went on a 7-2 run capped by a Rebekah Peterson three-pointer to tie the game at 32 with 2:15 remaining. The Jacks came right back with an 8-1 run to end the half with a 40-33 lead.

Behind Fairbanks, the Wolverines came out firing on all cylinders. UV started the half on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 43. Fairbanks scored seven of the Wolverines 10 points to start the half.

Moments later, Utah Valley State picked up its first lead of the game. With 15:38 left in the game, Beaman hit a three to give the Wolverines a 52-50 advantage. The Jacks quickly scored four consecutive points to regain the lead.

Up 54-52, the Jacks went on a 17-9 run to build a game-high 10-point advantage. UV's resiliency showed down the stretch as the Wolverines used a 17-8 run down the stretch taking the lead, 78-77, in the waning moments of the game on a Peterson three-pointer.

On the Jacks' final possession, Vogel got the ball into the paint and heaved a desperation shot with 1.7 seconds remaining that fell short. However, a shooting foul was called putting Vogel at the foul line with the game on the line. She made both shots to win the game for South Dakota State.

The Wolverines will look to end their six-game skid when they welcome North Dakota State to Orem Saturday afternoon. The game will be played at 3:05 p.m. at the Shurian Family Activity Center.