Jan. 6, 2007
Box Score
Orem, Utah - A frantic second-half run couldn't erase a 19-point deficit for Utah Valley State (10-6) as the Wolverines dropped an 85-74 decision to Idaho State (4-8) on Saturday in Orem.
Utah Valley was led by Sandy Marvin who scored 21 points. Robyn Fairbanks added 16 while pulling down eight rebounds and Julie McMurray rounded out double-digit scorers with 11.
ISU was led by Natalie Doma's career-high 35 points and 19 rebounds. She had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, helping the Bengals build a 19 point edge at the break. Jeni Boesel also picked up a double-double, getting 11 points and 11 boards while Andrea Lightfoot had 19.
"It couldn't have been more obvious that when we do fight, we're a pretty good team and when we don't we're bad," said UV head coach Cathy Nixon. "That's a lesson we haven't quite learned yet."
The Bengals came out and established themselves early, jumping to a 6-0 lead in the early going. The Wolverines didn't score until there was 15:50 left in the first half when Fairbanks cut Idaho State's lead to 6-2.
After Marvin hit a three-pointer the cut the lead to 9-5, ISU went on a 9-2 run to open up a double digit advantage at 18-7.
The Bengals weren't done as they outscored the Wolverines 13-6 over the final 6:10 of the first half to build a 38-19 lead at the break.
Utah Valley shot only 25 percent from the field compared to Idaho State's 50 percent first-half shooting. Marvin led the way for the Wolverines in the first half with five points.
UV stepped up the defensive intensity and the tempo of the game in the second half and began to chip away at the lead. Down 61-41 with 12:12 remaining the Wolverines went on an 11-2 run over the next 4:30. The two teams combined for 63 foul shot attempts in the second half.
After ISU evened the scoring, Utah Valley started chipping away again. UV forced several turnovers and made its foul shots to cut the lead to 70-64. The six-point deficit was the smallest since the 10:35 mark in the first half.
Lightfoot scored five straight for ISU to build its lead back to 11 points. The Wolverines frantic run at the end cut the lead to six with 6:03 remaining but they couldn't get any closer.
The win for the Bengals evens the season series at one win apiece and gives them the all-time edge, 3-2.
Utah Valley returns to action when it heads to Southern California to play UC Irvine next Tuesday and UC Santa Barbara on Thursday. Tip time for both games is 8 p.m. (MST)
