The Dixie State women's basketball team wraps up its three-game Hawaiian Islands road swing in a Tuesday evening matchup with BYU-Hawaii at the Cannon Activities Center in Laie, Hawaii. The game marks the 15th meeting between the teams, as the Storm hold a 12-2 series lead and a 4-2 mark in Laie. DSU split its first two games in Hawaii with a 68-63 loss at Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday, followed by a 61-56 victory at Chaminade on Saturday.
Tipoff in Laie is set for 5 p.m. Hawaii Time (8 p.m. MT). Live audio coverage is scheduled for radio (X 91.3 FM) and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com), with Devin Dixon providing play-by-play. For live stats/video links, visit DixieAthletics.com.
TWICE AS NICE: Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) was tabbed at PacWest Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season. Mann averaged a double-double over three contests for Dixie State on the week with 19.7 points and 18.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 53 percent (25-of-47) from the field and 88 percent (8-of-9) from the free throw line.She posted a huge double-double against Point Loma with 27 points and 24 rebounds, the third-most in the NCAA this season. Mann followed up the dominant performance with 14 points and 12 rebounds at Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday. She added another double-double with 18 points and 18 rebounds, along with three blocks and a steal, in a win over Chaminade on Saturday. Mann leads the PacWest in rebounding (11.9 rpg) and ranks third in scoring (18.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.537); ranking in the top-40 in the nation in all three categories. She also leads the PacWest and is tied for fourth in the NCAA with 12 double-doubles.
ALL-TIME VS. BYU-HAWAII: Tuesday's game marks the 15th meeting between Dixie State and BYU-Hawaii. The teams first met on Jan. 23, 2008 inside the Burns Arena. The Storm won the inaugural matchup, 73-53. BYU-Hawaii earned its first victory in the series Feb. 2, 2009, in Laie, Hawaii. DSU responded with a nine-game win streak before the Seasiders won the most recent matchup, a 76-66 victory on Jan. 8, 2015 in Laie. The Storm hold a 12-2 series lead, including a 4-2 mark in Laie.
KNOW YOUR FOE: BYU-Hawaii enters the game with a 6-9 overall record and a 3-7 mark in the PacWest with two wins over Fresno Pacific and a victory over Chaminade. The Seasiders are led by senior guards Jiashan Cui (13.5 ppg), Celeste Claw (13.2 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.7 rpg), and Valerie Nawahine (12.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
LAST TIME OUT: The Dixie State women's basketball team overcame a cold shooting night to defeat Chaminade, 61-56, Saturday evening in Honolulu.
The Storm (4-12/4-6 PacWest) connected on just 32 percent (24-of-73) of their shots, but forced 19 Silverswords turnovers and got 25 points off the bench to help seal the victory. With the win DSU improved its all-time record to 18-1 over CUH, including an undefeated 10-0 mark in Honolulu.
Dixie State jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the first quarter after a Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules) layup in the paint and an old-fashioned 3-point play by Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery). Chaminade responded with its own 5-0 run pull even at 5-5 at the 8:04 mark of the period. The teams traded baskets through the rest of the quarter, as neither team managed a lead larger than four points, and the Storm closed the quarter with an 18-17 lead.
DSU began to pull away in the second quarter when Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial) nailed a 3-pointer, sparking a 17-7 run over the next 8:18 to give the Storm their first double-digit lead of the game at 35-24. The Silverswords answered with consecutive baskets, and the Storm led 35-28 at the halftime break.
The Storm pushed the lead back to 41-32 midway through the third quarter when Mann scored a layup in the paint, and the Storm seemed poised to build another double-digit lead. However, Chaminade had other ideas and stayed within striking distance at 46-41 at the end of the third quarter.
Dixie State opened the final period on a 12-6 run to push the lead back to 58-47 with 4:46 remaining, but Chaminade would not go away. The Silverswords forced six DSU turnovers and exploded for a 9-0 run to pull within 58-56 with 32 seconds remaining. Trailing by two points, CUH needed to foul to get the ball back, but still had two fouls to give. The Storm were able to drain more than 20 seconds off the clock before Chaminade finally put Mann at the free throw line, where she connected on 1-of-2 free throws for a 59-56 DSU lead with three seconds to play. The Silverswords were whistled for a technical foul on the ensuing possession, sending Mann back to the free throw line to seal the victory.
DSU shot 18 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point land and 71 percent (10-of-14) from the free throw line, while outrebounding Chaminade 46-41. Mann led the way, finishing with 18 points and 18 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season. Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek) added eight points and Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) chipped in seven 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 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: Dixie State returns 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).
UP NEXT: Dixie State returns home to host Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday inside the Burn Arena at 5 p.m.
