Feb. 7, 2013

UVU Game Notes

OREM, Utah -- The Utah Valley University women's basketball team will welcome NJIT to the UCCU Center Saturday afternoon for a key Great West Conference contest. The game will tipoff at 3 p.m.

The contest will be a part of the Great West Conference Weekend Showcase on CollegeInsider.com. Fans can watch free live video of the game by visiting CollegeInsider.com or uvu.edu/uvutv. Live stats and audio will also be available for fans at WolverineGreen.com.

The game will be a crucial one for both teams as first place will be on the line in the conference standings. Both squads will enter the game tied atop the Great West standings with identical 3-1 conference marks but the Highlanders hold the advantage as they beat the Wolverines in Newark, 49-46, two weeks ago.

UVU (9-13) will enter play having won its last two games, including a 60-point triumph (87-27) over Walla Walla University on Monday.

Sophomore guard Tina Doughty led the Wolverines over Walla Walla with 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting behind the arc. Her eight three-pointers were good enough for a new single-game three-point school record. Behind Doughty, freshman center Sam Loggins added a season-high 14 points and sophomore guard Taylor Huber chipped in 13. Prior to the game against the Wolves, Utah Valley picked up a 75-71 conference road win over Houston Baptist last Saturday. Doughty once again led the charge in that one with a career-high 30 points and senior forward Kaycee Mansfield also added her fourth double-double of the year with 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Wolverines managed to outlast the Huskies.

Senior forward Sammie Jensen leads the Wolverines in scoring and rebounding with averages of 17.2 ppg and 12.8 rpg. Her 12.8 rebounds per game also ranks her fourth in the country in that category and she also leads the conference. Jensen also ranks second in the GWC in scoring. Doughty is next in the scoring column for UVU with an average of 10.7 ppg and Mansfield follows with 9.4.

About NJIT
NJIT (11-14) will come to Orem having won its last three games, which includes a 53-51 home win over Colgate on Tuesday night and an overtime victory at UTPA last Saturday. The Highlanders are led by first-year head coach Steve Lanpher and were picked to finish second in the Great West Coaches' Preseason Poll behind the Wolverines.

Senior guard Rayven Johnson is a first team all-conference player and leads the Highlanders with a double-double average of 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Junior forward Uju Nwankwo is next in scoring and rebounding with averages of 7.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg.

Saturday's game will mark the 17th all-time meeting between the conference foes and UVU holds a 10-6 series advantage. The Wolverines are 5-2 all-time against NJIT in Orem. The Highlanders won the previous season meeting on Jan. 26 in Newark, N.J., by three points after UVU senior Cydne Gray's game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed in-and-out.

Up Next for the Wolverines
UVU will once again hit the road for its next three games. The Wolverines will begin the trip in the Crescent City for a non-conference contest against New Orleans on Feb. 14. Utah Valley will then head to Edinburg, Texas, to face conference foe Texas-Pan American on Feb. 16.