The Dixie State women's basketball team returns to the road for two games on Friday and Saturday at the Colorado Mesa Thanksgiving Classic in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Red Storm tip off the CMU tourney on Friday in a 1 p.m. Mountain Time matchup with Western State Colorado. DSU will battle Colorado Mesa, the host school, at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday. All games will be played inside the Brownson Arena and can be viewed at cmumavericks.com.

THANKSGIVING HOME AWAY FROM HOME: The trip marks the fourth time the Storm have competed in the CMU Thanksgiving Classic, making their first appearance in 2006 and most recently in 2013. DSU holds a 4-2 all-time record at the tournament, with two wins over Western and one over CMU.

ALL-TIME VS. WESTERN STATE COLORADO: Friday's game marks the fourth meeting between Dixie State and Western State Colorado. All three matchups (2006, 2009, 2013) have taken place at Thanksgiving tournaments, two of which were held at Colorado Mesa. Dixie State owns a 3-0 series lead vs. the Mountaineers.

ALL-TIME VS. COLORADO MESA: Saturday's game marks the seventh meeting between Dixie State and Colorado Mesa. Three of the previous six matchups (twice in 2006, 2008, twice in 2010, 2013) have been played at the CMU Thanksgiving Tournament in Grand Junction, Colorado, with the Mavericks winning two of the three games. DSU holds a 4-2 series lead vs. the Mavericks, including a 3-0 mark in St. George.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Friday's game against the Storm is the first official game of the season for Western State Colorado. The Mountaineers enter the matchup after dropping exhibition games at Colorado State, Northern Colorado, and Grand Canyon. Western returns 10 players from last year's squad (4-22, 3-19 RMAC) led by sophomore guard Taylor Long and junior forward Syndie Lengyel, who both averaged 7.3 points per game last year.

Colorado Mesa enters the weekend with a 1-1 overall record with a win over Arkansas Fort Smith and a loss to then No. 9 West Texas A&M. The Mavericks have won three consecutive RMAC regular season championships and were tabbed to win another this season. Junior guards Sydney Small (21 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Bryanna Adams (14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) lead the CMU attack, while senior forward Ashley Stevens adds another 8.5 points per game.

"Our shooting percentage has to come up," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We've got to be able to take high-percentage shots. We need to continue to do the little things and to close out games. That's what our focus is this weekend, to get our first road win."

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State fell in its home opener Tuesday, dropping a 61-55 decision to Westminster at the Burns Arena. 

The Red Storm fell behind early as Westminster guard Natalie Parsons scored the Griffins' first nine points to give Westminster a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter. However, Dixie State responded with a 7-2 run to pull within 11-9 with 2:47 remaining in the period, but couldn't get any closer and trailed 15-11 after one quarter.

The Storm came of the gate firing in the second quarter, using a 5-0 spurt to take their first lead at 16-15. The teams then traded baskets throughout the remainder of the quarter, and DSU took 23-22 lead into the halftime break when junior guard Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek) nailed a trey to give the Storm the advantage. The defense did the rest, forcing Westminster to run the clock out without a shot attempt before halftime.

DSU picked up where it left off in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 25-22, but couldn't capitalize on multiple opportunities to extend the lead further.  Westminster countered with an 11-0 run to take a lead it would never surrender.

Dixie State pulled even at 41-41 in the fourth quarter after a 9-0 run capped by a Davis 3-pointer from the right wing. However, Westminster again responded and took the lead for good midway through the quarter to wrap up the 61-55 victory.

The Storm shot 30 percent (19-of-62) from the field, 31 percent (5-of-16) from beyond the arc, and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line. Davis led the attack, finishing with a career-high 16 points and four steals. Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

YEAR TWO FOR THIGPIN: Head Coach Jenny Thigpin begins her second season at the helm of Dixie State women's basketball. She took over last season just two weeks before the season started, following the departure of Catherria Turner. Thigpin was named interim head coach in November, until the "interim" was dropped in January and she became the permanent head coach. Prior to her arrival at Dixie State, Thigpin spent two seasons as an assistant at Pacific West Conference member Fresno Pacific and four years coaching at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif. As the head coach at Buchanan in 2009-10, she led the team to a 22-7 record (the most wins in school history), reaching the final four of the Central Section playoffs.Thigpin is joined by Adam Ross who returns for his second year as an assistant at Dixie State, and new assistant Teddy Fletcher, entering his first year at DSU.

2015-16 ROSTER: The Storm return four starters from last year, led by senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery), who averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds per game, and senior guard Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) (7.5 ppg). Tademy led the Storm in assists in the 2014-15 season with 136 assists (5.2 per game). Also returning is senior guard Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules)  (7.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and senior forward Brianna Jessop (Hyrum, Utah/Mountain Crest) (4.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg).

Five sophomore reserves also return in guards Shantel Roberts (Rialto, Calif./Miller) (2.4 ppg), Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) (2.1 ppg), and Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley) (2.0 ppg), forward Nishiki Washington (Nagasaki, Japan/Miura) (3.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg), and center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman) (1.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg). Additionally, the Storm welcome back redshirt freshman guard Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial).

Three junior college transfers join the Storm in junior guards Tomorie Sangster (Vacaville, Calif./Will C. Wood ), Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek), and Cassidy Carrillo (La Mirada, Calif./St. Paul). Sangster played at Napa Valley College, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in two seasons. Davis played two seasons at Sierra College, where she averaged 6.6 points per game. Carrillo played at Cerritos College, averaging 8.3 points and two rebounds per game in two seasons for the Falcons.  

Freshman guard Raynie Maynes (Salome, Ariz./Salome) represents the only new freshman joining the team in 2015-16. Maynes comes to Dixie State after redshirting last season at the University of Great Falls, and is the younger sister of former Dixie State guard Taylor Maynes (Salome, AZ/Salome).

STORM PICKED NINTH IN PACWEST POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish ninth in the Pacific West Conference preseason coaches poll released in October, after finishing in the same spot with a 7-13 record in conference action last year. California Baptist was picked to win the PacWest, followed by Azusa Pacific, Academy of Art, Fresno Pacific, and Point Loma in the Top-5.

UP NEXT: Dixie State opens Pacific West Conference play on the road next week with games at California Baptist on Thursday (5 p.m. PT) and Point Loma on Saturday (2 p.m. PT).