OREM, Utah – Playing in its first-ever championship game as an NCAA Division I program, second-seeded Chicago State women's basketball (16-13) fell to top-seeded Utah Valley (17-10) by a score of 80-55 in the finals of the 2009 Independent Tournament Saturday night at the McKay Center.
The Wolverines opened with an 18-8 lead in the first seven minutes of the game that culminated with a three-pointer from senior Robyn Fairbanks at the 13:02 mark before CSU closed within 20-9 following a three-pointer from senior Brittany White (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (Chicago, Ill.) at 12:19. A 19-8 scoring run by UVU over 10-plus minutes later increased its leading margin to 39-17 with 2:03 remaining in the stanza following a Fairbanks layup before entering intermission with a 43-20 lead.
CSU started the second half by scoring eight of the first 11 points in the first four minutes with senior Jasmin Dixon (Detroit, MI/Martin Luther King) (Detroit, Mich.) scoring four points to close within 48-28 at the 16:09 mark following a layup by sophomore Elana Wroten (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (Chicago, Ill.). A 29-20 scoring drive over 13-minute stretch hiked the Wolverines' advantage to 77-48 with 3:31 left in the game. The Cougars would get no closer than 20 points the rest of the way.
Wroten led Chicago State with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while sophomore Courtney Waldon (Sun Prairie, WI/Sun Prairie) (Sun Prairie, Wis.) added 11 points and eight rebounds en route to earning all-tournament team honors. Dixon recorded 10 points, six boards and three assists in her final collegiate game. White finished with season highs of nine points and eight caroms, and junior Laureen Pierson (Dayton, OH/Northmont) (Dayton, Ohio) also posted nine boards.
Senior Sandy Wall tallied a game-high 24 points to lead Utah Valley. Junior Julie MacMurray recorded 17 points and three assists, while Fairbanks finished with 11 points and senior Hollie Beaman notched a game-high nine assists.
The Cougars finished with a winning record in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history and will look to continue their success in the 2009-10 season when they start Great West Conference play.
~ CSU ~
