Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Women's Basketball 1/28/2016 7:54:00 PM By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Women's Basketball hosts Hawai'i Pacific to tip off five-game homestand

Dixie State Women's Basketball vs. Hawai'i Pacific
Date/Time	Saturday, Jan. 30 - 5 p.m. MT - Burns Arena - St. George, Utah
TV/Radio	TV: CEC-TV (TDS Cable Channel 22) Radio: X 91.3 FM
Game Notes	Dixie State
Live Video	Southern Utah Live ($)
Live Audio	Dixie State Athletics Stream
Live Stats	Dixie State Live Stats
DSU Social Media	@DixieAthletics (Twitter score updates) Facebook \| Instagram
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The Dixie State women's basketball team opens a five-game homestand Saturday at the Burns Arena when Hawai'i Pacific comes to town for the teams' only matchup of the season.

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. as DSU returns home from the Hawaiian Islands with a win over Chaminade and losses to Hawai'i Hilo and BYU-Hawaii for a 1-2 record on the latest road swing. The Storm look to get back on the winning track and stay in the hunt to qualify for the Pacific West Conference tournament. Live coverage is scheduled on television (TDS Cable Channel 22), radio (X 91.3 FM), and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com).

TWICE AS NICE: Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) was tabbed as 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 (12.0 rpg) and ranks third in scoring (18.9 ppg) and field goal percentage (.539); ranking in the top-40 in the nation in all three categories. She also leads the PacWest and is tied for second in the NCAA with 13 double-doubles.

ALL-TIME VS. HAWAI'I PACIFIC: Saturday's game marks the 17th meeting between Dixie State and Hawai'i Pacific. The teams first met on Jan. 8, 2007 in Honolulu with DSU winning the inaugural matchup, 65-56. The Storm won the next five matchups before HPU earned its first victory of the series, 91-78, on Feb. 20, 2010 in Honolulu. Since then, neither team has managed more than two consecutive wins. The Sharks defeated the Red Storm, 96-65, on Feb. 16, 2015 in the most recent matchup. DSU holds an 11-5 overall series lead, including a 5-2 mark in the Burns Arena.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Hawai'i Pacific enters the game with an 11-7 overall record and an 8-3 mark in the PacWest. The Sharks have won two consecutive games (Hawai'i Hilo, Chaminade) after losing to California Baptist last week. HPU is led by sophomore guard Breanna Mackenzie (17.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), redshirt junior forward/center Cece Pearl (10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), and junior guard Brianne Yasukochi (9.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg).

"We've got some tough teams coming this next week," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We've got to be able to get stops and know their personnel, who they want to get the ball to. Our rotations were a little slow on the road. We've worked on that, and we're keying back in on defense right now."

LAST TIME OUT: The Dixie State women's basketball team looked to return from the Hawaiian Islands with a winning record on the three-game trip, but a slow start doomed the Storm women in a 92-79 loss at BYU-Hawaii on Tuesday.

DSU went nearly four minutes scoreless to start the game while the Seasiders raced to a 13-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter. Brianna Jessop (Hyrum, Utah/Mountain Crest) got the Storm on the board with a layup on a pass from Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) 30 seconds later, sparking a 14-3 run for the Red Storm over the next four minutes to pull within 16-14. BYU-H responded with a 7-0 run and led 23-16 after one quarter of play.

Dixie State struck first in the second quarter on a Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) 3-pointer to pull within 23-19, but BYU-Hawaii answered with three consecutive triples of its own to push the lead to double-digits at 32-21 at the 7:07 mark of the period. The Storm cut the lead to six points on two different occasions, but could get no closer in the quarter. The Seasiders responded with another 7-0 run and took a 45-36 lead into the halftime break.

In a mirror image of the first quarter, the Seasiders pushed the lead to 13 at 49-36 less than a minute into the third quarter. And, like the first quarter, the Storm responded with a big run, this time a 14-2 run to cut the lead to 51-50 with 5:49 to play in the quarter. However, the Seasiders answered again, this time with a 12-3 run to push the lead back to double digits at 64-53 with 1:52 to play in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets over the final two minutes and BYU-H took a 68-56 lead into the final period.

BYU-Hawaii quickly pushed the lead to 15 points at 73-58 early in the fourth quarter. DSU slowly chipped away at the lead and used a 9-3 run over the next three minutes to cut the lead back to single digits at 76-67 with 5:33 remaining, but would get no closer as the Seasiders extended the lead back to 88-71 and held on for the victory.

Dixie State shot 41 percent (26-of-63) from the field, 22 percent (5-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 88 percent (22-of-25) from the free throw line. BYU-Hawaii shot a similar 43 percent (31-of-73) from the field, but it was the 3-point shot that made the difference, as the Seasiders knocked down 10-of-23 (43 percent) shots from outside.

Mann led four DSU players in double figures with 22 points and 13 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season (fifth consecutive). Bolden added a career-high 14 points, Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) chipped in 13 points and seven assists, and Tomorie Sangster (Vacaville, Calif./Will C. Wood ) finished 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 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: The Storm try for their first win over a ranked opponent since 2011 when they host No. 4 California Baptist next Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Taylor Maynes: Guard; 5' 9"; Senior

#1 Tramina Jordan: Guard; 5' 4"; Redshirt Freshman

#3 Cassidy Carrillo: Guard; 5' 8"; Junior

#4 Chermayne Moore: Guard; 5' 5"; Senior

#5 Aliya Davis: Guard; 5' 6"; Junior

#11 Brianna Jessop: Forward; 5' 11"; Senior

#12 Leslie Tademy: Guard; 5' 2"; Senior

#20 Ashlee Burge: Center; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#21 Sandria Bolden: Guard; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#22 Gabrielle Cabanero: Guard; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#23 Raynie Maynes: Guard; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#24 Tomorie Sangster: Guard; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#24 Taylor Maynes
: 5' 9"; Senior
: Guard

#1 Tramina Jordan
: 5' 4"; Redshirt Freshman
: Guard

#3 Cassidy Carrillo
: 5' 8"; Junior
: Guard

#4 Chermayne Moore
: 5' 5"; Senior
: Guard

#5 Aliya Davis
: 5' 6"; Junior
: Guard

#11 Brianna Jessop
: 5' 11"; Senior
: Forward

#12 Leslie Tademy
: 5' 2"; Senior
: Guard

#20 Ashlee Burge
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: Center

#21 Sandria Bolden
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: Guard

#22 Gabrielle Cabanero
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: Guard

#23 Raynie Maynes
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: Guard

#24 Tomorie Sangster
: 5' 7"; Junior
: Guard