Nov. 16, 2009
Box Score
OREM, Utah - Four players scored in double figures as Utah Valley held off The College of Idaho and its 40-minutes of pressure, 72-56, on Monday night in the McKay Center.
Julie Smith led the Wolverines (2-1) with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Blake Reynolds, Asumi Nakayama and Kyra Prause all scored 10 points while Erika Newbold finished with eight points and six rebounds and Kayla Burningham also had eight points, six assists and five rebounds.
"Kayla was a real key for us defensively," said UVU head coach Cathy Nixon. "I think she had one of her best games since she's been here at Utah Valley. Just the way she was locked in defensively and in control offensively."
The Lady Yotes pressed from the opening tip and while it did lead to turnovers in stretches, more often than not UVU was able to beat the pressure, leading to 38 points in the paint and 52.7 percent shooting from the field.
"It was good for us to get this kind of test before we head out on the road," said Nixon. "You have to control the pace, you have to be sharp or you're going to get beat. We turned the ball over a few too many times but overall I thought we did what we need to do."
Utah Valley was able to break through the press right out of the gate, running out to a 15-7 lead six minutes in. That lead was erased though during a 14-0 College of Idaho run that lasted nearly five minutes. The Wolverines turned the ball over five times during the stretch as the Lady Yotes took a 22-15 lead, their biggest of the game.
UVU came right back to score the next 11 points to take a 26-22 lead and eventually went into the break up five, 34-29.
The Wolverines began the second half on a 12-3 run that gave them a 14-point cushion at the 15:31 mark. The lead was whittled down to six over the next eight minutes when Katie Strunk knocked down a three to make it 54-48.
Nakayama came right back with a three to push the lead back to nine and The College of Idaho could get no closer. Reynolds scored six of her points over the final four minutes and gave the Wolverines their biggest lead of the day at 18 points, 72-54, with 1:55 to go.
Nicole Gall lead the Lady Yotes with 14 points but was limited to 4-of-13 shooting while Strunk finished with 13. Nicole Bruce had a game-high nine rebounds for The C of I.
Utah Valley will now head out for its first road trip of the year to Mississippi and Virginia. The Wolverines will face a tough task in no. 25 Mississippi State on Wednesday before traveling to Longwood on Friday. Both games can be heard live on WolverineGreen.com.
