Fairbanks nets 43 to lead UVSC

OREM — Sophomore Robyn Fairbanks scored a school record 43 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Wednesday to lead Utah Valley State to an 84-78 victory over Montana State.

Fairbanks' outburst came just two days after she set the school record with 34 points against UC Riverside.

Despite Fairbanks' efforts, the Wolverines (10-3) had to hold off a late rally by Montana State (5-6).

UVSC led 81-71 after two free throws by Hollie Beaman with 1:10 remaining, but MSU scored seven points in 29 seconds, capped by a 3-pointer by Alyssa Nelson with 41 seconds remaining, to pull to 81-78.

The Bobcats were forced to foul and Fairbanks made 3-of-4 free throws to seal the win.

Rebecca Mercer and Nelson scored 17 points each for Montana State, which trailed 45-38 at halftime.

The Bobcats rallied to tie the score at 62 on a 3-pointer by Whitney Connolly with 7:50 remaining.

The Wolverines used a 19-9 run — including 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal by Fairbanks — to take the 81-71 lead.

Krislyn Wallace added 11 points and 10 rebounds for MSU, while Anne Phippard also had 11 points and Connolly fouled out with 10. Nelson had seven assists, four rebounds and three steals for the Bobcats.

Asumi Nakayama was the only other UVSC player in double figures with 10 points.