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Show Team effort captures win for Wolverines attempts. Robyn Fairbanks finished with 30 points and nine reDenver University simply bounds. The reigning Great could not survive. West Conference Player of Especially when the Wol- the Week, Fairbanks upped verines shot 56.4 percent from her nation-leading scoring avthe field, a season-high 26 as- erage to 25.3 per game. sists and 31 made field goals Julie McMurray added 13 to give UVU two straight wins points and Erika Newbold for the first time this season. had career highs of seven Denver came out early with points and six rebounds while the hot hand, but the Wol- Asumi Nakayama dished out verines played tight defense. nine assists and Hollie BeaUtah Valley withheld Denver man added six. U to zero fast break opportuniI sometimes don't like to ties and came up with 12 fast- admit it to the team but when break points in the process. we're clicking offensively we "I was most satisfied with are a better team," Nixon said. our process defensively. I "The thing is we had Julie and thought we were excellent," Robin on the bench in the first said coach Cathy Nixon. quarter and we still had an "They were a very good shoot- edge." ing team. I felt like we needed "There is definitely a difto be strong defensively. I ferent feel out there and comthought our girls did very well peting and just wanting to win answering and setting the tone rather than doing it individuearly." ally," Wall said. "As a team An added boost for the this is by far the best that we Wolverines was the all-around have played together." offense and defense of Sandy The final score 87-72 Wall. Coach Nixon said Wall brings the Wolverines record is an emotional leader for the to 8-8. UVU will play Weteam. She plays relentless all ber Sate Jan. 27, a team that the time. She is intense every- recently beat University of day at practice and her game Utah. The first 500 fans in atshows it. tendance will receive a free For the second straight pink Utah Valley Basketball game, Sandy Wall matched a t-shirt. Portions of the ticket school record with five three- sales and fans donations will pointers. She finished with go to help Orem resident a season-high 23 points on Joyce Wheeler, who is cur8-for-l4 shooting and has hit rently fighting breast cancer. 10 of her last 12 three-point Sports writer Dave Iba/ UVU Review Senior Hollie Beaman drives past her defender as the Wolverines went on to knock off Denver last week 87-72 KIRA TERRY Sports writer -season sports editor After two months of play the UVU men's basketball team sits at 8-8 with a month remaining in the teams 2008-09 campaign. Heading into the season the.Wolverines appeared to be a possible 20-win team. As that goal appears bleak the question remains as to whether the team has underachieved so far. At the heart of the team is senior Ryan Toolson, whose 23.4 UVU evens record at NDSU The Utah Valley University men's basketball team dropped to 8-8 on the year Tuesday after a 71-98 loss at North Dakota State (13-5). NDSU is the current leader of the Summit League. Senior guard Ryan Toolson led the Wolverines with 27 points on the night and chipped in three rebounds and three assists. He was 9-for-19 from the field, 3-for-5 from downtown, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Utah Valley as a team shot a perfect 13-for13 from the stripe in the game. Junior forward Tyray Petty and sophomore center Justin Baker were also in double digits with 14 and 10 points, respectively. "North Dakota State played sensational tonight," UVU head coach Dick Hunsaker said. They were hitting on all cylinders and frankly overpowered us. I was pleased that we kept fighting and competing, and played a much better second half." The Bison shot 58.2 percent from the field in the game <32-for-55) and recorded a 61.1 three-point percentage hitting 11-of-18 from behind the arc. NDSU was also 23-34 from the charity stripe in the contest and had made 18-of-25 free throws at the half. In contrast, UVU was only 4-for-4 from the line at the half. Wolverines perform well in Logan UVU's Julie McMurray enjoys breakout season Dave lba/ u v u Review Julie McMurray has quickly emerged as a scoring threat for the Wolverines in her junior season. Sports Briefs Three-pointers are the name of the game for UVU's own number 3, Julie McMurray. Currently averaging 19 points per game, McMurray hits three-pointers like Ryan Toolson hits free throws. McMurray, a junior studying P.E. teaching and exercise science, is referred to as the 'hustle' of the team. After growing up in Cardston, Alberta Canada McMurray was recruited by UVU to join the team in 2006. UVU is lucky to have such a great player and some may ask what brought this 6'0 star basketball player to Orem all the way from a small town in Canada. "I think one of the main things was I had played with Robin (Fairbanks) and against Robin and I loved playing with her," said McMurray. McMurray also added, average leads the team and ranks him among the top scorers in the nation. His average has him just slightly below last season. This year however, with the loss of several key seniors from a year ago, the Wolverines need his scoring more than ever. On occasion the Wolverines have turned in collective scoring nights where the ball is spread around and "We're really good friends and I heard she had a successful season down here and she said she really liked it so I got offered the opportunity and I thought it would be fun to play with Robin again." McMurray and Fairbanks, referred to as the Canadian duo, have played together or against each other since the eighth grade. Growing up in southern Alberta, basketball was the obvious choice for McMurray to play since it is such a popular sport not only to play, but to watch as well. She said, "My whole family plays basketball. It's just a big family sport, it's very competitive up in southern Alberta." McMurray's passion for the game is evident. "I love being out there on the court with all my teammates, because those are my best friends, and there's nothing more fun to do than play players are making their shots. Unfortunately there are also times when UVU struggles to score, and if Toolson is having an off night shooting it can be detrimental to Utah Valley. The loss of toughguy Jordan Brady to graduation has hurt the Wolverines' lowpost presence. Brady, although undersized for a big man, made up for it with his strength basketball with your best friends. I just love the game," McMurray said. One of McMurray's favorite moments in basketball is, she says, "when any game comes down to the wire. When it is close and you end up winning that's probably the one of the best feelings ever." With her senior year approaching, McMurray has a goal for a winning season. "I think next year it will be more of a challenge, because without Robin and other seniors we're losing, we're going to have a lot of freshmen coming in and we'll be really young and inexperienced," McMurray said. Even with the thought of losing so many players next year, McMurray still has hope and said, "I think it will definitely be a rebuilding season for us, but I still think we can have a winning record if we all pull together." and tenacity. This However, UVU season UVU is again has a February full undersized under the of home games and basket and with less should rebound nicely experience. Senior to finish the season. Brett Ravenberg leads Jordan Swarbrick has the low-post charge, stepped up and, as a but at six-foot-eight junior, will be around finds himself towered next year to anchor over by opposing big the Wolverines. The men. Behind Raven- loss of several seniors berg the Wolverines will hurt Utah Valley have sophomore Jus- next year when Tooltin Baker and two son, Josh Olsen and freshmen in Solomon Ravenberg, all team Jensen and Rory Fan- captains, will have to non. be replaced. On Saturday Utah Valley University's men's and women's track and field teams competed well at the Wilson Motor Invitational on the campus of Utah State University. "It was a good meet for us today/' UVU head track coach Scott Houle said. "We have used the last two weeks to get us ready for the season and help gauge where we are at competition wise. Our kids are definitely progressing and will be ready to square off against some stiff competitors next week in Boise." Utah Valley's sprinters finished very well in the women's 60-meter dash, led by sophomore-transfer Jazmine Wittman who won the event with a blazing time of 7.82. Following right behind Wittman were her fellow running mates freshmen Natasha Martin (second), Amanda Morse (fourth), and Zandrea Nelson (sixth). In the women's one-mile run, Utah Valley placed second and third as freshmen Shelise Walker and Kalina Zufelt went two and three respectively. Also Wolverine freshman Nicole Knighton placed second in the women's shot put with a throw of 43'-09.75". On the men's side of things in the 60-meter dash UVU truefreshman Mike Fogt led the way as he finished in fifth place with an impressive time of 7.03. Utah Valley pole vaulter Levi Ball-placed third in that event to lead the Wolverines with a vault of 15'-07", as fellow freshman Jacob Hull placed fourth with a vault of 15'-01.25". UVU freshman Ty Bunting placed fifth in the men's shot put with a throw of 42'-11.00. Making eadlines Jeff Kent Retires Jeff Kent is hanging up his baseball cleats after a 17-year stint in Major League Baseball. Kent hit 377 total home runs and an MLB record 351 as a second baseman during the years he spent playing for the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros, and Dodgers. He was the NL MVP in 2000, made five AllStar teams and won four Silver Slugger awards at second base. |