Late trey sends UVSC past Pilots

OREM — Sandy Marvin hit a crucial three-point shot with 41 seconds left to lift Utah Valley State over Portland, 79-75, Wednesday night at the McKay Events Center.

For the Wolverines, it was the highest offensive output of the season and the end of a painful, six-game losing streak.

"It's exactly what our team needed, being young and starting four freshman, to get the experience," Utah Valley assistant coach Chris Boettcher said. "The last few games have been tight and we haven't been able to make the plays. We've been on the road, so it's nice to be home and have the support of the fans and pull off a tight one like that."

The Wolverines had a six-point lead on three occasions in the second half, but the Pilots came back each time to knot the score or take a slim lead.

But Marvin's shot proved to be the backbreaker, giving the Wolverines a two-point lead with under a minute left. Miriam Palkki then grabbed a rebound on the other end and hit two free throws with 18 seconds left to ice the game, a fitting end for a game that was all but decided at the free throw line.

Utah Valley took a season-high 40 trips to the line and hit 30 attempts, also a season high. The Wolverines scored 27 of their 45 second-half points from the foul line.

"Against the zone, it's so easy to get stuck outside shooting outside shots and not be aggressive," Boettcher said. "In preparation, we wanted to just attack it, and I think Sandy Marvin did a good job setting the tone for that, missing a few early threes and after that, just driving in and making plays. It was our aggressive offense that put us at the line."

Marvin and center Robyn Fairbanks were the primary beneficiaries of Portland's foul trouble en route to new career scoring highs.

Fairbanks led all scorers with 24 points (including 10-of-12 free throw shooting), while Marvin set her new personal best at 20 (including 11-of-16 free throw shooting).

Fairbanks said it was "pretty physical" in the post, and was pleased her team was able to win such a hotly contested game.

"We've been having a couple close ones lately, so just to know that we can pull it out is good," she said.

The score was tied at 34 at the half. The teams traded baskets over the first few minutes of the game, before Utah Valley's Miriam Palkki and Hollie Beaman hit back-to-back three-point shots to put the Wolverines up, 11-6.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Pilots took advantage of several Wolverine miscues to go on a 15-2 run and take an eight-point lead midway through the half.

Wolverine coaches called a time out, after which Fairbanks converted a three-point play to stop the bleeding, and the Wolverines spent the rest of the half climbing out of the hole.

"We needed to refocus on defense," Boettcher said. "Again, with young players, sometimes they get so worried about their individual player, instead of as a team defending and rebounding. We went back to getting some offensive rebounds and getting some stops to get the momentum."

Next up for Utah Valley is Gonzaga, Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the McKay Events Center.