OREM -- Sandy Marvin scored a career-high 20 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in the game, to propel the UVSC women's basketball team to a 79-75 victory over Portland on Wednesday.

The Wolverines (3-8) got career highs in points out of Marvin and Robyn Fairbanks, who scored a team-high 24 while also leading her squad with 13 boards. Holly Beaman dished out a career-best nine assists and Miriam Palkki added a career-high 12 rebounds.

"This win is exactly what our young team needed," UVSC assistant coach Chris Boettcher said. "We've lost a lot of close games on the road lately and these girls really needed to see one go their way."

The two teams played even early on with UVSC clinging to a one-point lead thanks in part to a pair of threes by Beaman and Marvin.

Portland (3-8) came back, scoring five consecutive points to hold a 14-13 lead with 11:38 remaining in the first half.

After the Pilots opened a game-high seven-point lead, the Wolverines turned to Fairbanks. Fairbanks scored five quick points and cut the lead to 23-21 with less than eight minutes left in the first half.

The Wolverines continued their run, tying the game at 31 with 1:30 remaining in the first half. Each squad cashed in 3-pointers over the last 90 seconds of the period with Palkki's coming for UVSC with only four seconds remaining to put the game at an even 34-34 tie at halftime.

UVSC jumped out to an early 41-38 lead in the second half. The Pilots came back with a 6-0 run to regain the lead a 44-41. Six consecutive Marvin foul shots helped the Wolverines regain a slim, one-point lead.

Rebekah Peterson, formerly Rebekah Fales, followed her own missed foul shot to score a bucket and Fairbanks added a bucket to give UVSC a game-high, six-point lead with 14 minutes remaining.

Consecutive Portland threes evened the score once again at 56. Led by stellar foul shooting by Fairbanks and Marvin and a key basket by Peterson, the Wolverines build their lead to 67-61 with six minutes remaining. The Pilots came right back, going on a 10-1 capped by a 3-pointer by Whitney Grant run to go back ahead with just 3:44 remaining in the game.

Down the stretch, the game remained tight with Portland holding a one-point lead when Marvin nailed her big 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining to give the Wolverines a 77-75 lead. Palkki nailed two foul shots to ice the game with seconds remaining.

UVSC attempted a season-high 40 foul shots, making 30.

"We knew we needed to get the ball inside," Boettcher said. "Robyn Fairbanks has great hands and we knew she could make things happen if we got the ball to her."

Next up for the Wolverines is a home matchup against Gonzaga on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.