After playing three of its last four games on the road, the Dixie State women's basketball team returns to the Burns Arena this weekend to host Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday and Point Loma on Monday. Both games are set for a 5 p.m. tipoff. Live coverage is scheduled on television (CEC-TV – TDS Channel 22), radio (Radio Dixie 91.3 FM), and internet (Southern Utah Live), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play on Saturday and DSU Media Studies students providing play-by-play on Monday.
ALL-TIME VS. NDNU: Saturday's game marks the 19th meeting between Dixie State and Notre Dame de Namur. The teams first met on Dec. 12, 2006, inside the Burns Arena. The Trailblazers won the inaugural matchup, 82-49, before NDNU won five of the next eight matchups. Since then, DSU holds a 7-1 record in the last eight matchups, earning a 69-59 victory on January 14 earlier this year in St. George in the most recent matchup. Dixie State leads the overall series 12-6, including an 8-1 record at the Burns Arena.
ALL-TIME VS. POINT LOMA: Monday's game marks the ninth meeting between Dixie State and Point Loma. DSU won the inaugural matchup, 80-63, on Dec. 15, 2012, in St. George. The Trailblazers won the next matchup two months later in San Diego, California, and fell in the most recent matchup, 82-75 on January 18 in St. George. Dixie State holds a 5-3 series edge, but only a 1-3 mark vs. PLNU at the Burns Arena, where the Sea Lions have earned all three of their victories in the series.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Notre Dame de Namur, coached by former DSU player Sheila Adams (2010-12), enters Thursday's game with a 4-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in PacWest play, earning conference wins over Chaminade and Hawaii Hilo before falling to BYU-Hawaii. Sophomore forward Jerusha Paine leads three NDNU players averaging double-figure scoring with 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while senior guard Emily Tevez adds 14.0 points and junior guard Marissa Caballero averages 12.6 points per game.
Point Loma enters the weekend with a 7-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark in PacWest play, falling to California Baptist before earning victories over Fresno Pacific and Concordia. The Sea Lions lead the PacWest in scoring defense, allowing just 60.4 points per game. Offensively, five PLNU players average double-figure scoring, led by junior guard Alex Brunk with 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kassidy Gengenbacher (12.7 ppg), senior forward Syndey Tonack (11.7 ppg), junior forward Roya Rustamzada (11.7 ppg), and senior forward Madison West (11.3 ppg) round out the other four double-digit scorers.
LAST TIME OUT: The Trailblazers suffered an 87-59 defeat at the hands of Azusa Pacific in Azusa, California, on Saturday, closing its two-game southern California trip with two losses. \
The Trailblazers tied the game at 5-5 early in the first quarter on a Jaden Gonzales (Plainview, Texas/Plainview HS) 3-pointer, but APU turned 11 DSU turnovers into a 22-9 lead after the first quarter. The Cougars extended the lead to a game-high mark of 39 points in the fourth quarter, but DSU closed the game on a 19-8 run to trim the final score to 87-59.
Dixie State shot 36 percent (19-of-52) from the field, 26 percent (4-of-15) from beyond the arc, and 81 percent (17-of-21) from the free throw line. Shelby Kassuba (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline HS) led three DSU players in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Hannah Roberts (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) and Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) finished with 10 points each.
2016-17 ROSTER: Dixie State returns two starters from the 2015-16 squad, led by junior center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman HS), who averaged 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and recorded two double-doubles last year. Sophomore guard Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS), who started 17 games last year, also returns in 2016-17. Jordan averaged 5.0 points and 1.6 assists as a freshman last season. The Trailblazers return two reserve players from last year's squad, including junior guard Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley HS) (1.8 ppg) and senior guard Cassidy Carrillo (La Mirada, Calif./St. Paul HS) (0.9 ppg).
Four junior college transfers join the Trailblazers for the 2016-17 season, including junior forwards Shelby Kassuba (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline HS) and Lisa VanCampen (Morgan, Utah/Morgan HS), junior guard Matti Ventling (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas HS), and junior guard Monique Washington (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS).
Kassuba played two seasons at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington, where she averaged 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals per game as a sophomore. VanCampenCollege in Ephraim, Utah, and averaged 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. spent two seasons at Snow Ventlingrebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a sophomore. Washington played her freshman year at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. played two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she averaged 8.3 points, 3.8
Dixie State also adds one NCAA Division I transfer in senior center Hannah Roberts (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS), who joins the Trailblazers after one season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Roberts appeared in 15 games at UAPB and made two starts as a junior in 2015-16. Prior to her time at UAPB, Roberts averaged 2.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in two seasons at Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska.
Three new freshman join the ranks this year in twin-sister guards Ali and Kili Franks (Redding, Calif./Enterprise HS) and guard Jaden Gonzales (Plainview, Texas/Plainview HS). The Franks sisters prepped at Enterprise High School in Redding, California. Ali averaged 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals per game, while averaged 15 points, six rebounds, and two steals per game for the Hornets. Gonzales prepped at Plainview High School in Plainview, Texas, where she averaged 16.0 points per game and connected on 66 3-pointers as a senior for the Bulldogs. Kili
COACHING STAFF: Head Coach JD Gustin begins his first season at Dixie State in the 2016-17 campaign. Gustin was announced as the new DSU women's basketball head coach in May 2016, following the departure of former coach Jenny Thigpin. Gustin recently concluded his first season as an assistant coach at Weber State, where he helped lead the Wildcats to a 23-12 record and a runner-up finish in the 2016 Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament.
Prior to Weber State, Gustin spent four years at the University of Utah, serving as director of women's basketball operations from 2011-13 and women's basketball assistant coach from 2013-15. He helped guide the Utes to a runner-up finish in the 2013 Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
Before his time at Utah, he served as head women's basketball coach at Westminster College for seven seasons from 2004-11, where he compiled a 146-83 record and led the Griffins to five consecutive NAIA National Championship tournament appearances. He led Westminster to its first-ever NAIA tournament berth in 2006-07, and guided the Griffins to the quarterfinals of the NAIA championships for the first time in school history with a school-record 28 wins in 2010-11. Gustin won three Frontier Conference championships, including a perfect 14-0 conference mark in 2008-09.
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Gustin is joined by new assistant coaches Nicole Yazzie (Westminster, 2013) and Brennon Schweikart (BYU-Hawaii, 2013).
NEXT UP: Dixie State travels to Orem, Utah, for an exhibition matchup with Utah Valley after the Christmas break on Saturday, Dec. 31. The Trailblazers then head on a three-game northern California trip from January 3 to January 7.
