Feb. 12, 2009
Box Score
NEWARK, New Jersey - Robyn Fairbanks recorded her fourth straight double-double with 30 points and 13 rebounds as Utah Valley won its sixth straight, 70-58, over NJIT at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday.
Fairbanks was an impressive 12-for-15 from the floor in her sixth 30-point game of the season. She posted the numbers in just 22 minutes against the Highlanders (5-16), a future Great West Conference foe for UVU.
"What she does is just remarkable," said head coach Cathy Nixon. "Any time she's on the court we can count on her to score. They didn't have an answer for her tonight. It's amazing how she just does it night after night."
The Wolverines (12-8) used a 16-0 run midway through the first half to turn a one-point deficit into a 29-14 advantage. Julie McMurray scored seven points during the run and capped it with a 3-pointer from the corner at the 6:38 mark.
McMurray scored 18 in the half while Fairbanks, who played just seven minutes after picking up two fouls, hit all five of her attempts and had 10 points.
Utah Valley hit 56 percent from the field in the first half and used a 21-10 advantage on the boards to carry a 37-23 lead into the break.
In the second half, a Fairbanks three with 12:28 left in the game gave UVU its biggest lead, 58-40. Two quick whistles then sent Fairbanks to the bench with four fouls.
From that point the Wolverine offense sputtered, going nearly four minutes without a point as the Highlanders scored nine straight points, six of which came on two Jill Dickinson 3-pointers.
Fairbanks ended the run with a bucket with 6:42 left, on her first possession back into the game, followed by a Hollie Beaman layup that pushed the lead back to 13. NJIT could not get closer than 11 the rest of the way.
McMurray finished with 22 points and six rebounds while Sandy Wall finished with eight. Erika Newbold had four points and six rebounds off the bench for the Wolverines while Asumi Nakayama had six assists and Hollie Beaman dished out five.
Kehinde Oyelola led the Highlanders with 15 points but was just 1-of-10 from the 3-point line.
Utah Valley finished the game at 54.2 percent from the field while NJIT shot 37.1 percent. The Wolverines also outrebounded the Highlanders 38-26.
Fairbanks, who entered the day second in the nation in scoring by one-tenth of a point, regained the top spot, improving her average to 25.7 per game.
UVU now head to Chicago to face another Great West foe, Chicago State, on Saturday a 1 p.m. MT. The Wolverines will wrap up the long road trip next Tuesday at Ohio University.
