OCR Text |
Show /port/ once Wolverines Stun Fresno UVSC Lady's hoops record biggest win in history The men in one piece suits I'm not going to waste my time pretending like I actually understand the sport of wrestling; but for some reason I am somewhat intrigued at the fact that Utah Valley State houses the only program in the state right now. When Brigham Young put the kibosh on it's programs back in 2000, wrestling around here all of a sudden stopped at the varsity level (high school); that is until 2003 when UVSC's athletic department strategically brought back the men in one-piece suits after the need to add a men's sport with their Division I transformation. BYU had to cut their own (primarily for Title IX reasons,) and many other schools around the country have also reeled from the same government mandated circumstance. In fact, you may be startled to know, as I was, that over 200 wrestling programs have been axed in the past 20 years. That sounds to me like a ridiculous amount. But what UVSC has done, essentially, is given top tier, in-state high school wrestling phenoms a choice once again. Before, if recruits wanted a future, that automatically meant leaving for Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa, or anywhere else without a Beehive as its state symbol, and those places may still be the most ideal spots for the talent here to eventually wind up. At least now they can ponder the option of becoming a Wolverine and having the luxury of choosing to pin down opponents in front of family and friends, instead of random student body. And maybe even more interesting than anything else is what UVSC has done for Wasatch High School. I don't know what they're feeding those kids up there, but Wasatch seems like a celestial breeding ground for wrestling potential. Everybody knows about the Sanderson clan; at least Cael (If you don't then maybe your heads been stuck in a box for the last several years). Simply put, this undefeated Iowa State alum and Athens gold medalist, is hands down the best collegiate the NCAA has ever seen. Cody, the oldest, and Cole weren't bad either, and the youngest, Cyler, is currently a Cyclone right now himself, following in the footsteps of his three older brothers. But even Utah Valley in the last few years has stripped Wasatch of its ridiculous mat talent pool, bringing in the likes of Mitch Morgan, Ivan Bigney, and most recently, heavy weight Dallin Norton. Morgan's no longer with the program, but Bigney See RANT *A10 with 17 points and also led the way defensively with four steals. Sandy Marvin posted her third straight double-figure this season by scoring 13. Senior Miriam PaLkki also chipped in 13. Fales was scoreless until the one-minute mark of the first half when she hit a jump shot that was quickly followed up by a big three-pointer with just three seconds left. In the second half, the sophomore forward continued with the momentum by pouring in another 12 points, all after an early struggle. "With my shooter's mentality, I just kept shooting. And after I made those shots at the end of the half, my confidence was so much higher," said Fales. Both teams shot under 30 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, but Fales' three-ball was enough to give the Wolverines a 27-26 lead at the break. Fresno State won the battle on the boards, managing 19 more rebounds than Utah Valley, but the Wolverines capitalized from the line hitting 17 of 22 on their way to 45 secondhalf points. Amy Parrish led the way for Fresno scoring 15 and bringing down 18 rebounds. As a team, the Bulldogs drop to 2-2, their only other defeat coming at the hands of #13 Stanford. Morgan Vance Sports Editor Byron Swogger/NetXNews Freshman Hollie Beaman steps to the line, to try and seal a win for the Wolverines Fresno State women's basketball was predicted to finish second in the WAC this season, according to both conference coaches and media pre-season polls, and last season, qualified for the NIT after finishing with a record of 20-11. But the Bulldogs ran into an unsuspected roadblock after UVSC used a 10-2 run over the final two and a half minutes of the game to upset Fresno at home 72-64, and pick up their first win of the season. "For a Division I win, this is the biggest one we've had," said UVSC coach Cathy Nixon. "We've been telling the kids that on any given night, any team can beat somebody." Utah Valley was up 54-49 with just over seven minutes to play before the Bulldogs rallied off seven straight points to take the lead; but, the Wolverines kept it close and finally re-stole the advantage for good after a reverse lay-up by freshman Ashley Grimm with 1:47 to play. UV then connected on eight clutch free throws during the late stretch run to seal the upset. The Wolverines' Rebekah Fales led all scorers Hoopsters love being back home Morgan Vance Sports Editor After a slow start on the road to begin the year, UVSC continued their trend of McKay Center dominance with big victories over both Texas State and Western Illinois. Since transitioning itself into Division I during the 2003 season, the Wolverines have only lost twice in Orem, and that didn't change at all after their home opening weekend. In the first game, four UV players contributed double figures in a 77-45 romp over Texas State, led by newcomer Chris Bailey scoring 15 points with four assists. Utah Valley closed out the initial half on a 15-4 run over the Bobcats to lead by 15 at halftime, and as a unit, the Wolverines shot 51 percent from the field and outrebounded their opponent by nine. "We really needed a win," said UVSC coach Dick Hunsaker. "We just had a lot of energy defensively and played with a lot of determination. Collectively, everybody played well." Texas State had just come off a 16-point loss at the University of Utah, but in Orem they couldn't muster much offense at all, only shooting 28 percent. Junior forward Richard Troyer led UV on the boards with nine, but Hunsaker said that it was one of his seniors who deserved much of the credit. "I have to give the game ball to Pierre Thomas," said the fourth year Wolverine coach. "Pierre held JuShay Rockett, who is their most dangerous scorer, to no field goals." Thomas also scored 14 for UVSC, while Sylvester Allison had 13 and Ben Devoe, 11. The Bobcats didn't have one player manage any double figures. Three nights later, UVSC played well again, evening out its record on the season to 2-2 with an 82-69 drubbing over Western Illinois. The 6' 10 senior center De- Former Wolverine, Ronnie Price, recorded his second steal of the season for the Sacramento Kings during an 18-point blowout win over the Charlotte Bobcats. Price was also 0-3 from the field with one turnover as well. As a team, the Kings have won three straight games after starting the season with a disappointing 4-7. price watch voe gave one of his best performances ever in green and gold with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Down 6-2 to begin the contest, UV ripped off 19 of the next 20 points to go up 217 midway through the first half, and Western Illinois would get no closer than nine the rest of the way. "That was a big win for us," chimed Hunsaker. "We'd love to be in the MidCon. This is our first victory against a Mid-Con school and they're picked in the upper echelon of that league." The Wolverines once again shot over 50 percent as a team, and Matt Peterson continued to contribute offensively for UVSC after good performances on the road at the Guardians Classic. The junior from Logan had 13 in this one, including nine of those during the Wolverine's big 19-1 spurt in the first half. Newcomer Tika Wesley also made good use of his time, scoring II and posting five rebounds in just 14 minutes of play. "I thought we played hard with a lot of tenacity defensively," said Hunsaker. "I've always said you get your leads if you work real hard defensively and do a good job on the backboards." The leatherneck's Fred Oguns led Western Illinois with 21 points. The win was revenge for last year when Western Illinois beat UVSC in Macomb, Illinois 58-49. WACTIVNAL, FFERENdE Safer-Stronger-Thinner-Reusable ActivNal allows beautiful hands l | for all women in all walks oflife, , • They arc always comfortable and natural looking, ActivNSIs eliminate Ihc inherent problems , 3| awoctated with otficr artificial nail products. {•-•• -70% thinner than traditional acrylic and gel options : ' • , ; • -Perfectfor part-time or occasional wearers -Nofitting or drilling to the natural nail 'Less Exposure to harmful chemicals Back on the road, Utah Valley couldn't manage its first win away from home, losing 72-56 in Pocatello to Idaho State. David Schroeder scored 17 and Utah County native Tim Henry netted 12 for the Bengals who led by as many as 15 in the first half of play. ISU later used a 12-2 second half run to go up by as many as 24. 'Applied in minutes at your leisure 'One purchase can last a lifetime See B BALL-A10 •;. For more Information Call Stacy at: i 801-8304036 WWW. "We got outmatched, out- WW^f- -/ 4 y ^ ACTI VNAL.COM |