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Freshman Julie McMurray is averaging 10.5 points and six rebounds per game so far this season
  
 
Utah Valley Hosts In-State Foe Utah on Friday Night

Elite Eight Utes playing in Orem for first time; game can be heard on 700 AM

Nov. 16, 2006

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Coming Up...
Utah Valley State will face a big test when the University of Utah comes to Orem on Friday night at 7:05 in The McKay Center.

The Wolverines are 2-0 and a win on Friday would equal the best start in the school's NCAA history. UV started 3-0 in the inaugural NCAA season in 2003-04. All three wins came against non Divison-I schools.

Utah is 0-2 so far with losses to Gonzaga on the road and most recently Fresno State, a 61-55 contest in Salt Lake City. The Utes have never started 0-3 in the school's 33 years history of women's basketball.

Utah is 1-0 all-time against Utah Valley State, defeating the Wolverines 88-66 during the 2004-05 season. Rebekah (Fales) Peterson and Susie Cornejo are the only current Wolverines that were on that team.

The Wolverines are coming off of a 68-60 win over Utah State, the first win over an in-state Division-I opponent. Prior to the win, UV was 0-9 against SUU (0-3), Utah State (0-2), Weber State (0-2), Utah (0-1) and BYU (0-1).

Utah Valley State will have a chance to get in the win column against every in-state team this year, with four schools coming to Orem for a game and UV going to Ogden to face Weber State.

A Look at the Numbers...
Robyn Fairbanks has picked up where she left off after her successful freshman campaign. The 2005-06 All-Independent 1st Team member and the Independent Newcomer of the Year is averaging 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocks through the first two games of the season.

Sandy Marvin scored 25 points in the opener against Mesa State and is averaging 16 points per game. She also leads the team in minutes at 29 per contest.

As a team the Wolverines are shooting 56.3% from the floor while opponents are hitting 40.7%. They are outscoring opponents 84.5 to 71.0 per game.

Freshmen Asumi Nakayama and Julie McMurray have also bolstered Utah Valley's depth. Nakayama had eight points, eight assists and six steals in her first collegiate game, while McMurray had 11 points and seven rebounds in the win over Utah State. McMurray is averaging 10.5 points and six rebounds so far, reaching double figures in her first two college games.

Scouting the Utes...
Utah coach Elaine Elliott enters the 2006-07 season just 10 wins shy of 500 for her career. She's in her 24th season at Utah and has led the team to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances including an appearance in the Elite Eight last year.

So far this season, sophomore Morgan Warburton is leading the team with a 14.5 ppg average. Joh-Teena Filipe, a high school teammate of Wolverine sophomore Ashley Grimm, is averaging 10.5 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.

Utah lost its top three scorers from its Elite Eight team. All-American Kim Smith (20.4 ppg, 8.4 tpg), Julie Larsen (10.3 ppg) and Shona Thorburn (10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) all completed their eligibility last year.

Thorburn and Smith are both in the WNBA now. Thorburn was the first Utah player taken in the WNBA draft when she was selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the seventh overall pick. Smith was then drafted 13th overall by the Sacramento Monarchs.

O Canada...
Six players from Canada will be represented on the team's rosters in Friday's game. Utah has four Canadians (Shuana Murphy, Sasha McKinnon, Marie Warner and Jessica Perry) and UV has two (Robyn Fairbanks and Julie McMurray).

Add Japan born point guard Asumi Nakayama to the mix and seven players between the two teams are foreign-born.

vs. the Mountain West...
Utah Valley State is 0-5 all-time against the Mountain West Conference. Air Force, BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah have each beaten the Wolverines one time each. All of the games except Air Force were on the road.

Besides Utah, UV will two more games this season against Mtn. West schools; San Diego State (Nov. 22) and BYU (Dec. 16).

Wolverines Hope for Fast Start at Home... Utah Valley will play its first seven games at home before the first road contest at Idaho State on December 2nd.

The Wolverines were 10-6 in Orem in 2005-06 and hope that same success will help them to a fast start. Overall, UV will play 17 of its 28 games at home.

Looking Ahead...
Utah Valley State will play three times at home during the week of Thanksgiving.

Mountain West foe San Diego State will be in town on Wednesday, November 22. Then Southern Virginia will be in Orem on Friday the 24th before New Mexico State plays in the McKay Center on Saturday, the 25th. All three games are scheduled for 3:05pm MT.