Sports briefs

"Person of interest" in hockey coach’s murder

Sandy police have been continuing its efforts to solve the Ken Dolezsar case. Police searched a business, a home and two vehicles last week connected with a "person of interest" in the case. A police statement stated items were taken and will be "analyzed for possible evidentiary value."

Dolezsar, an assistant hockey coach for Utah Valley, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Village Inn in Sandy Nov. 15.
 The investigation has been ongoing since the incident. The shooter left in Dolezsar’s car and the car was found abandoned later that day. Early leads dried up after police indicated that a quick arrest would be made.

Women’s basketball

For the second straight week and the fourth time this season, Robyn Fairbanks is the Division I Independent Player of the Week. It’s the 12th time in her career that she has earned the award.

Fairbanks is currently second in the nation in scoring at 24.1 points per game.

Last week, she led Utah Valley to wins over Gonzaga and Nevada and averaged 27.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest. She shot 55% (33-of-60) from the field and 5-of-8 (62.5%) from the three-point line.

In a 94-73 win over Gonzaga, she finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks and followed that up with a 28 point 13 rebound performance in a 65-56 win over Nevada.

Fairbanks also became the first Utah Valley player to surpass 1,500 career points in the victory against Gonzaga.

Utah Flash

The Utah Flash acquired the rights to former NBA and University of Utah forward Britton Johnsen from the Bakersfield Jam for guard Michael Cuffee, Flash general manager David Fredman announced today.

This is Johnsen’s second stint in the D-League. He played 34 games for the Fayetteville Patriots in 2003-04, averaging 31.1 minutes, 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game before being called up by the Orlando Magic. He was a second-team All-D-League selection that season.