Feb. 22, 2007
Box Score
Orem, Utah - Julie McMurray had 20 points and Robyn Fairbanks added 18 as Utah Valley State held off IPFW for a 74-71 win on Thursday in Orem. The Wolverines improved to 13-13 in the win while IPFW fell to 12-14.
McMurray and Fairbanks combined to hit 9-of-10 free throws over the final 4:18 of the game that saw four ties and three lead changes.
Johnna Lewis-Carlisle had a game-high 21 points and hit several big jumpers down the stretch for IPFW, including one with 2:05 left in the game to give the Mastodons their last lead of the game at 69-67.
McMurray hit two free-throws to tie the game and following an Ashley Johnson miss sank 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to give Utah Valley a 72-69.
Johnson scored for IPFW with two seconds remaining to cut the lead to one before Asumi Nakayama hit two free-throws for the final margin.
Hilary O'Connell had a desperation three hit the back of the iron for IFPW as time expired.
"One of the best things about Julie's game is her ability to get to the basket," said head coach Cathy Nixon. "She has enough dimensions to her offensively that she's pretty tough to guard. I think the thing for her is just maintaining her confidence and I think this is just the beginning for her."
"I've just been looking for my shot more, trying to be more a part of the offense," said McMurray, the reigning D-I Independent Newcomer of the Week. "Coach has told me to look for my shot more when I come off of the bench."
The Wolverines shot 52.1% for the game while the Mastodons hit 38.6% from the field but the Mastodons scored 26 points off 21 UV turnovers to keep the game close.
Sandy Marvin was the third Wolverine in double figures with 12 in the game while Fairbanks had a game-high nine rebounds and McMurray and Hollie Beaman both had seven rebounds. Beaman also had six points and eight assists for the Wolverines.
McMurray hit 12-for-15 free-throws for the game and 4-for-6 from the field. Fairbanks shot 7-for-13 for Utah Valley.
In the first half, Utah Valley built a 34-21 lead with 4:41 left in the half before IPFW ran off ten straight points. The Mastodons closed within two with 12 seconds left in the half on two Lewis-Carlisle free-throws before Rebekah Peterson, who finished with nine points and six rebounds, scored with five seconds left to give UV a 41-37 halftime advantage.
Game Notes: IPFW now leads the all-time series between the two teams 2-1 ... Saturday's game against New Jersey Tech will be Senior Day for Veva Ahlstrom ... a win Saturday would guarantee at least a .500 season for the Wolverines ... the Wolverines improved to 3-5 in United Basketball League action ... McMurray is averaging 17.2 points in her last five games ... Fairbanks fell into third place in the nation in scoring with a 23.6 ppg average, one-tenth of a point behind Western Kentucky's Crystal Kelly.
