OREM, Utah. The University of Denver women’s basketball team (9-9) fell 87-72 to the Utah Valley Wolverines (8-8) on Wednesday evening at the McKay Center in Orem, Utah.

 

Senior Andie Mason led the Pioneers with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from long distance, while Nennea Akotaobi (Thornton, Colo.) and Brianna Culberson (Jefferson City, Mo.) each finished in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respective.

 

Junior Ashly Robinson (Bloomington, Minn.) led all rebounders with 11 boards, including a game-high five offensive. As a team, Denver shot 48.2 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point land.

 

Utah Valley’s Robyn Fairbanks led all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe, while also grabbing 9 rebounds. Also finishing in double-figures for the Wolverines was Sandy Wall and Julie McMurray as each posted 23 and 13 points, respectively.

 

As a team, the Wolverines shot 56.4 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from three-point range. Utah Valley also finished shooting 78.9 percent from the free-throw line.

 

In the first half, the Pioneers shot 51.9 percent from the floor as Mason led Denver with eight points on a perfect performance from the field. Mason went 2-of-2 from long-range and was 1-of-1 from inside the arc. Robinson led the way off the glass as she grabbed five of Denver’s 15 first-half rebounds.

 

The Wolverines led from the first whistle blow and extended its lead by as much as 14 points with 6:47 remaining. UVU was also a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range throughout the opening 14 minutes until its first miss at the 5:39 mark. Fairbanks led all scorers with 13 points in just six minutes played in the opening stanza.

 

Utah Valley continued to add to its lead throughout the second half, extending its advantage by as much as 22 points with 8:53 remaining. Despite pulling within 10 points off a lay-up by Culberson with 12:17 left to play, the Wolverines remained in control and finished the period with a 15-point margin.

 

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday as they play host to the visiting Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Magness Arena. Fans can follow the action live via Pioneer Vision and Live Stats, located on the Denver Pioneer Web site (www.DenverPioneers.com).

 

 

- PIONEERS -