The Dixie State women's basketball team (1-6, 1-1 PacWest) wraps up its stretch of nine out of 10 games on the road Saturday as the Storm head to Flagstaff, Arizona for an afternoon matchup with Northern Arizona inside the Walkup Skydome.
The game, set for a 2 p.m. Mountain Time tipoff, will be nationally televised on Fox Sports Arizona (Dish channel 415, Direct TV channel 686) and Fox College Sports Pacific with Jordan Byrd on play-by-play and Taryn Beveridge providing color commentary. Live audio coverage is scheduled on radio (X 91.3 FM) and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com) with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FACTORY: Three Dixie State players recorded double-doubles on Saturday at Point Loma, setting a program record for the most double-doubles in one game. Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman) added 20 points and 10 rebounds and senior guard Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) chipped in 10 points and 12 assists.
PACWEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mann was named PacWest Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 27.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last week. She shot 61.1 percent (22-36) from the field and 80 percent (8-10) at the free throw line. She scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds at California Baptist. She added another double-double (her fourth of the season) with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Red Storm's first win of the season at Point Loma.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA: Saturday's game marks the first meeting between Dixie State and Northern Arizona.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Northern Arizona, a Division I member of the Big Sky Conference, enters the game with a 3-5 record. The Lumberjacks have won two of their last three games after a 1-4 start to the season. Freshman center Alyssa Rader (14.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) leads the way for NAU, while junior guards Rene Coggins (9.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Brittani Lusain (9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) each sit on the on the cusp of averaging double figures.
"This game is another great opportunity for us to play against top competition and continue to get better," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We've done that the entire preseason playing against nationally ranked teams. That's another reason we have Northern Arizona in the middle of our conference schedule. We want to continue to grow going into the Christmas break. We're growing as a program and that's all we can ask for."
LAST TIME OUT: DSU earned its first win of the 2015-16 season Saturday, holding off Point Loma for a 79-69 victory in San Diego, California.
The Storm jumped on the Sea Lions early in the first quarter, taking a 14-9 lead halfway through the period. PLNU responded with 6-0 run to take the lead briefly, but DSU countered with a 7-0 run to end the period with a 21-15 lead. Sophomore center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman) keyed the first quarter run, finishing with eight points in the period.
Point Loma seized control through the middle quarters, outscoring Dixie State 43-31 through the second and third periods behind the outside shooting of guard Madison West. However, DSU refused to go away, and the Sea Lions were unable to build a lead larger than six points.
The Storm used a big fourth quarter to pull away from the Sea Lions, outscoring PLNU 27-11 in the final period to seal the victory behind eight points from senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) and key 3-pointers from senior guard Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules) and junior guard Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek).
Dixie State shot 50 percent (29-of-57) from the field, 31 percent (5-of-16) from downtown, and 84 percent (16-of-19) from the free throw line, while racking up 20 assists as a team. Mann recorded her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Burge and senior guard Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) also recorded double-doubles, marking three DSU players to accomplish the feat in one game. Burge had a career day, scoring a career-high 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Tademy finished with 10 points and matched a career-high with 12 assists. Davis also finished in double figures with 10 points.
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 staårted, 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.
NEXT UP: The Storm return home to host Azusa Pacific in their PacWest conference home opener on Saturday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time inside the Burns Arena.
