March 6, 2009

Box Score

OREM, Utah - Utah Valley held off Longwood, 81-73, to advance to the championship game of the Division I Independent Women's Basketball Championship at the McKay Center. The Wolverines (16-10) can set a new school record for wins in a season with a win over Chicago State on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Sandy Wall led the UVU with 26 points while Julie McMurray added 23 points and eight rebounds. Krystal Garrison led four Longwood players in double figures with 16 points while Emma Zieverink had nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Lancers (7-21).

Robyn Fairbanks spent most of the night in foul trouble before fouling out with 3:42 remaining. Fairbanks finished with nine points, on 3-for-8 shooting, and eight rebounds. Her nine points ends a remarkable streak of 78 consecutive double figure scoring games. The last time Fairbanks didn't score at least 10 points was November 17, 2006 against Utah.

Wall scored 16 of her 26 in the first half including six early as she led Utah Valley to a quick 12-3 lead. With the Wolverines up 14-5, Longwood got back-to-back 3-pointers from Garrison and Zieverink and, following a Blake Reynolds layup, Garrison hit another trey. Sierra Fletcher scored on the next Lancer possession to cap an 11-2 run, tying the game at 16.

Longwood took its first lead, 38-36, with 1:35 left before Wall finished the half with five straight points to give the Wolverines a 41-38 lead at the break. Kayla Burningham came off the bench to score eight first-half points, hitting both 3-point shots she attempted.

That lead was the Lancers only one of the game. The contest was tied twice in the second before Fairbanks scored with 17:07 left to put Utah Valley up for good. UVU gradually worked the lead up to 10 on a McMurray layup with 5:13 left. Longwood used a 7-1 run to get within four after Fairbanks' fifth foul.

The Wolverines got to the line 10 times over the next three minutes, hitting all 10, to go back up by 10, 78-68, with under a minute to go.

Earlier in the day, Savannah State defeated NJIT, 64-56, and Chicago State topped Texas-Pan American, 60-48.

Saturday's championship will be the third time this season that UVU and Chicago State will face one another. The Wolverines beat the Cougars 79-50 in Orem and 79-66 in Chicago earlier this season.