PORTLAND, Oregon - Utah Valley survived a wild second half comeback to top Portland State, 102-92, in overtime on the road on Monday night behind 34 points and 14 rebounds from Robyn Fairbanks and 11 points and a school record 13 assists from Asumi Nakayama.
In a game that was eerily similar to one two years ago in the same gym, the Vikings (7-5) erased a late double digit deficit to tie the game with 5.1 seconds left on a Courtney Cremer three that banked in, knotting the game at 82.
After Nakayama's driving layup fell just off the rim at the buzzer, Fairbanks took over, scoring the first six points in overtime as part of an 8-0 run to start the extra frame as the Wolverines improved to 5-6.
Remarkably, Fairbanks was limited to just 22 minutes due to foul trouble, including just four points and six minutes at the half. She scored 21 points in the second half and nine in overtime.
"It was a liitle too déjà vu," said Fairbanks, referring to the game two seasons ago when the Vikings came back to win in double overtime. "A lot of us were here and remember that well and we did not want this game to end the same way."
Nakayama's school assist record came on a night when she recorded her first career double double, as she and Sandy Wall both played 42 minutes.
"She (Nakayama) did a fantastic job," said head coach Cathy Nixon. "I really felt like we got some key contributions from a lot of players. Erika (Newbold), Kayla (Burningham), Blake (Reynolds) was great defensively. Portland State hit big shots but we really kept our composure."
Julie McMurray finished with 24 points while Wall had 19, including 13 in a first half where she carried UVU offensively. Newbold scored a career high six pints, all in the first half, and Reynolds also finished with six points and a career high nine rebounds.
Kelsey Kahle finished with 30 to lead Portland State, hitting a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Both teams shot well from the charity stripe; the Vikings were 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) and the Wolverines were 29-for-33 as Nakayama, McMurray and Marvin combined to hit all 18 of their free throws.
Utah Valley held a 72-61 lead with 3:07 left before Portland State chipped away over the next two minutes, pulling within two, 81-79, with 38 seconds left on a Jamie Roupp lay up before Cremer tied it with the three to send it to overtime.
The Wolverines were 34-for-71 (47.9 percent) from the field for the game including 4-for-4 in overtime. Fairbanks was 11-for-17, hitting 9-for-11 after the first half as she recorded her 38th career double double and 14th career 30-point game.
It's the sixth time in school history that Utah Valley has scored more than 100 points, including two straight against Portland State.
Trailing 5-4 less than three minutes into the game, Wall ran off seven straight points to put the Wolverines up 11-5 before the Vikings answered that with seven straight points of their own to regain a one-point edge.
Portland State led 21-20 after Kate DePaepe scored two of her eight first half points before another 7-0 UVU run gave the Wolverines a 27-21 lead with 9:11 remaining in the opening half. UVU led 41-36 at the break.
Utah Valley will stay in Oregon for a 3 p.m. MT, afternoon contest on New Year's Eve at the University of Portland.
