Mesa State no match in season opener

There’s nothing like a season opener, especially when it turns into a dominant win. The women’s basketball team had an easy go in its first game of the season with a 94-58 win against Mesa State.

The Wolverines were paced by an offensive attack that saw five players score in double figures including 19 points from guard Sandy Marvin, who continues to shoot the ball well from the perimeter.

Utah Valley also got 17 points from junior Robyn Fairbanks in the post.

The inside-out threat of the Wolverines has dominated opponents early this season. On Saturday, Utah Valley played Cal State Fullerton and continued to impress with an 89-63 win. In both games, the continued theme was the impressive offensive contributions from several different players.

"We want to have more people contributing consistently offensively," said coach Cathy Nixon. "We feel like that’s something in the long run we’ll need to be successful."

In each game this year, players have stepped up to provide scoring other than Marvin and Fairbanks. In Friday’s win junior Lauren Smith came off the bench to score a career-high 12-points, while on Saturday Julie McMurray scored a game-high 23 to lead the Wolverines.

With 15:54 left on the clock in the first half of Friday’s game, Utah Valley was tied at 10 with Mesa State. A 17-0 run by Utah Valley helped them sprint to a 44-32 lead at the half. A 15-0 run to start the second half all but put the Mavericks away for good.

"We just tried to work on things and try to get some kids some minutes," said Nixon. "Kids like Lauren Smith and Jordyn Bowen came off the bench to give us a good effort."

A smothering full-court press in the second half allowed the Wolverines to record 23 steals on the night. Marvin led the team with 6 steals, while Fairbanks had five.

"Tonight we tried to play a little bit more aggressive on defense," said Nixon. "I was happy to see that intensity."

Up next

Nov. 21
Against Seton Hall
Seton Hall won their first two games this season against Manhattan and Fairleigh Dickinson. The Pirates played two more games over the weekend and take on BYU after playing Utah Valley.

Nov. 24
At Utah State
Utah Valley beat Utah State last season 68-60 in Orem. This year the Wolverines travel to Logan with almost the same team. The Aggies lost their season opener to Pacific and play Portland and Portland State before facing Utah Valley on Saturday.