Box Score
OREM, UT – Host Utah Valley dominated the final two minutes of the contest led by senior Robyn Fairbanks who poured in a game-high 40 points plus 16 rebounds and four blocks to pace the Wolverines' 75-66 win over visiting New Jersey Institute of Technology in the opening round of the 2008-09 Division I women's basketball Independent Tournament.
The Highlanders will return to action tomorrow when they face Savannah State at 2:00pm (MT) at The McKay Center.
NJIT had closed to within two points of the lead at 68-66 on a three-point play by Taiwo Oyelola at 2:12 but NJIT did not score in the final 2:07 and Utah Valley capped a 7-0 run putting the game out of reach.
Utah Valley, which has met the Highlanders three times this month, had one other double-figure scorer. The Wolverines got a triple double from junior Julie McMurray 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists recording the first triple double in school history.
NJIT was led by junior Taiwo Oyelola, who came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points and pull down a team-high nine rebounds. Tonight's scoring total is a new career-high for Taiwo, who previously scored 20 points at Texas-Pan American on January 8, 2008. Tawio shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line as twin sister Kehinde Oyelola added 17 points and six rebounds for the Highlanders.
Utah Valley found the scoring rhythm early and it was 20-7 when Fairbanks finished a three-point play at the 12:15 mark.
Highlander freshman Melanie Griffin hit a three-pointer from the right corner and Kehinde Oyelola sank a jumper from the free throw line cutting the deficit to eight, 20-12, with 10:32 left.
Utah Valley took its biggest lead of the first half as Fairbanks registered her 13th point at the 6:53 mark but the Highlanders answered with four quick points on Griffin's second three-pointer of the game and a free throw sank by Ivana Seric, making the score 26-18.
In the final 2:49 of the first half, NJIT scored five points keyed by Seric's running lay-up in the paint and a three-point play by Taiwo Oyelola, pulling within four of the Wolverines, 32-28, at break.
The top scorer's at halftime were Utah Valley's Fairbanks and NJIT's Taiwo Oyelola and Griffin with eight.
Utah Valley was strong to start the second half and pushed its lead to 15 points, 50-35, on Lauren Smith's jumper with 14:54 left.
The Highlanders rallied and went on a 10-0 run sparked by a jumper by junior Katie Piekielski, bringing NJIT within three, 53-50.
NJIT, hanging in against Utah Valley, cut the lead down to as low as two points, both times on jumpers made by Taiwo Oyelola with 6:28 and 5:52 remaining.
NJIT closed the gap to within one, 62-61, as senior Jill Dickinson hit a three-pointer from the right side of the floor with less than five minutes to play.
Fairbanks scored seven straight points putting the Wolverines up 68-61, with 3:11 left in the game. NJIT fired back as Taiwo Oyelola netted the next five points trimming the Wolverine lead to two, 68-65, but NJIT did not score in the final 2:07, and Utah Valley capped a 7-0 run for a 75-66 final score.
For NJIT, Dickinson finished the night with nine points and Griffin matched her career-best with eight points.
