The Dixie State women's basketball team returns to action at the Burns Arena this week, hosting Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday and Point Loma on Monday.

Thursday's game is set for a 5 p.m. Mountain Time tipoff while Monday's game is set for a 2 p.m. MT tipoff, as the Storm (2-10, 2-4 PacWest) look to get back on the winning track after dropping games at Azusa Pacific and Concordia last week. Live coverage is scheduled for both games on television (TDS Cable Channel 22), radio (X 91.3 FM), and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com).

DSU Athletics is also teaming up with the Dixie State Multicultural/Diversity Center for a non-perishable food drive prior to the PLNU game to benefit the University's Student Food Pantry. Fans who bring a non-perishable food item will receive free admission to both DSU men's and women's basketball games and a free t-shirt (while supplies last).

CLEANING UP THE GLASS: Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) sits atop two different PacWest statistical categories involving rebounds. After three solid games last week, Mann leads the PacWest in total rebounding (10.6 rpg) and double-doubles. She recorded her eighth double-double of the season (23 points, 12 rebounds) at Azusa Pacific on Thursday for her 30th career double-double (25 at Dixie State, 5 at BYU-Hawaii) and fell one rebound shy of her seventh consecutive double-double at Concordia on Saturday. As a team, DSU sits in third in the PacWest in offensive rebounds at 15.8 offensive rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME VS. NDNU: Thursday's game marks the 18th meeting between Dixie State and Notre Dame de Namur. The teams first met on Dec. 12, 2006 inside the Burns Arena. The Storm won the inaugural matchup, 82-49, before NDNU won five of the next eight matchups. Since then, DSU holds a 6-1 record in the last seven matchups, earning a 92-61 victory on Feb. 7, 2015 in St. George in the most recent matchup. The Storm lead the overall series 11-6, including a 7-1 record at the Burns Arena.

ALL-TIME VS. POINT LOMA: Monday's game marks the eighth meeting between Dixie State and Point Loma. The Storm won the inaugural matchup, 80-63, on Dec. 15, 2012, in St. George. DSU won the next matchup two months later in San Diego, California and the most recent matchup, 79-69 on December 5 in San Diego. The Red Storm hold a 5-2 series lead, but only a 1-2 mark vs. PLNU at the Burns Arena, where the Sea Lions have earned both their victories in the series.

KNOW YOUR FOE: NDNU enters the game with a 1-13 overall record and a 0-5 mark in PacWest play. The Argonauts defeated Pacific Union on New Year's Eve for its only win of the season. Freshman forward Jerusha Paine (11.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) leads the NDNU attack, while senior forward Kirsten Liana (9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and sophomore guard Marinel Alcantara (9.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) both sit on the bubble of double-digit scoring.

Point Loma enters the weekend with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-4 mark in PacWest play with wins over Notre Dame de Namur and Hawaii Hilo. Junior guard Madison West (15.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and sophomore forward Alex Brunk (14.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) lead the PLNU attack, while sophomore forward Roya Rustmazada (13.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and junior forward Sydney Tonack (10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) also average double-figure scoring.

"This week is about us and executing defensively," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We've got to do a better job of controlling the rebounds and not giving teams second chance points. The goal is to get back to .500 in league play."

LAST TIME OUT: Despite four Storm players scoring in double figures, Dixie State could not overcome a slow start in an 89-75 loss at PacWest newcomer Concordia University Saturday night in Irvine, California.

The Storm won the opening tip and scored the first point of the night on a Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) free throw just 10 seconds into the game. From there it was all Concordia in the opening frame as the Eagles went on a 19-8 run, taking advantage of early DSU foul trouble while holding Dixie to just 4-of-13 from the field over that stretch, en route to a 24-16 lead after one quarter of play.

Concordia would extend its lead to as many as 12 points at 30-18 with 7:55 to go until intermission, but Dixie State hung tough, pulling to within a bucket at 32-30 after a Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) jumper with 3:10 on the clock. However the Eagles answered with five-straight points to wrestle back the momentum and would take a 41-35 lead into the locker room.

CUI scored five quick points out of the halftime break to push its lead back to double digits at 46-35. DSU clawed back to within six points on a couple of occasions, the last coming at 55-49 after a pair of Sangster free throws, but the Eagles rattled off a 9-1 spurt to take their biggest lead of the game at 64-50 in the waning moments of the third quarter.

Dixie State would pull to within eight points at 64-56 after consecutive lay-ups from Sangster and Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules) to open the fourth quarter, but the Eagles were able to maintain a double-digit lead for much of the final stanza to come away with their first-ever PacWest win.

Mann led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with nine rebounds, while Tademy almost posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 boards and a game-high eight assists. Tademy was also credited with four steals in 36 minutes of play. Moore added 13 points and Sangster chipped 10 points in her second start of the year.

DSU shot 39.4 percent from the field (28-of-71), which included a 17.4 percent clip (4-of-23) from the perimeter, and hit on just 15-of-25 (.600) from the line.

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).

Three sophomore reserves also return in guards Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) (2.1 ppg), and Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley) (2.0 ppg), 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 head to the Hawaiian Islands for a three-game swing at Hawaii Hilo (Jan. 21), Chaminade (Jan. 23), and BYU-Hawaii (Jan. 26). All three games are scheduled for a 5 p.m. Hawaiian Time (8 p.m. MT) tipoff.