After playing back-to-back games at home, the Dixie State women's basketball team hits the road again for a grudge match at No. 24 Azusa Pacific on Thursday and its first Pacific West Conference matchup at Concordia on Saturday.

Both games are slated for a 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time (6:30 p.m. MT) tipoff. Live coverage is scheduled for both games on radio (X 91.3 FM) and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADER: Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) kept her double-double streak alive on Tuesday vs. Chaminade, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds to record her fifth consecutive double-double and pull into a tie (Kelly Hardeman, APU) for the most double-doubles in the PacWest this season. Mann now has seven double-doubles on the season and 29 career double-doubles (24 at Dixie State, 5 at BYU-Hawaii).

CENTURY MARK ECLISPE: The Storm eclipsed the century mark for the first time since Feb. 12, 2011 in Tuesday's 103-86 win over Chaminade.

ALL-TIME VS. AZUSA PACIFIC: Thursday's game marks the eighth meeting between Dixie State and Azusa Pacific. The teams first met on Jan. 12, 2013 in Azusa, California. The Cougars won the inaugural matchup, 66-59, sparking a seven-game win streak in the series, including a 93-69 victory in St. George in the most recent matchup on December 19.

ALL-TIME VS. CONCORDIA: Saturday's game marks the second meeting between Dixie State and Concordia. The teams first met on Dec. 7, 2007 in Irvine, California, with the Storm earning a 65-57 victory. The game marks the first PacWest conference meeting between the teams.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Azusa Pacific enters the weekend with a 10-2 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the PacWest. The Cougars are ranked second in the conference standings and sit at No. 24 in the NCAA Division II USA Today Coaches poll. Senior forward Kelly Hardeman (16.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg) leads the APU attack, while senior guard Cydnie Jones (13.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and senior forward Miriam Zabinksy (11.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) also average double-figure scoring. Azusa Pacific leads the PacWest in blocked shots, averaging 5.9 per game.

Concordia enters the weekend with a 1-8 overall record and an 0-4 mark in the PacWest. The Eagles are currently in their first season as an NCAA Division II member after competing at the NAIA level. Senior forward Brittany Stafford (13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) lead the CUI attack, while sophomore guard Zoe Goss (9.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg) sits on the bubble of double-digit scoring.

"We need to continue to play together as a team," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We must play with a sense of urgency defensively. It's going to come down to our defense this weekend."

LAST TIME OUT:  The Dixie State women's basketball team rolled to a 103-86 victory over Chaminade Tuesday to even its Pacific West Conference record at 2-2 on the season.The Storm eclipsed the century mark for the first time since Feb. 12, 2011 in a home win over Academy of Art, and five DSU players finished in double figures en route to the 17-point victory.

Dixie State led nearly wire-to-wire, conceding its only deficit of the game at 4-3 early in the first quarter. Senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) scored nine points in the opening stanza and senior guard Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules) added seven points to help the Storm build a 25-20 lead after one period.

The teams traded baskets in the second quarter until sophomore guard Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) nailed a trey to spark a 12-0 run for DSU over the next two and half minutes. Chaminade responded with a 5-0 run to pull within 11 points, but Mann hit a layup to end the half and send the Storm to the locker room with a 51-38 lead.

Like the second quarter, both teams traded baskets in the third quarter, as the Storm could not pull ahead by more than 11 points through the first half of the third period.  DSU broke the game open for good when redshirt freshman guard Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial) and junior guard Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 63-47 with 5:06 remaining in the period. The Silverswords made a final push to pull within 67-58, but the Storm responded with an 8-0 run to end the third quarter with a 75-58 lead.

Chaminade again tried to cut into the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Storm matched each basket. Both teams scored 28 points in the final period, and the game ended at 103-86 in favor of the home team. Two different DSU players scored their first points of the season in the win, as redshirt freshman guard Raynie Maynes (Salome, Ariz./Salome) and junior guard Cassidy Carrillo (La Mirada, Calif./St. Paul) each finished with four points.

Dixie State shot 47 percent (45-of-94) from the field, 29 percent (7-of-24) from beyond the arc, and 50 percent (6-of-12) from the free throw line. The Storm also forced 24 Chaminade turnovers and finished with 39 points off the bench. 

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).

Four 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), 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 for games against Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday and Point Loma the following Monday.