After one game at home, the Dixie State women's basketball team hits the road again this weekend for two games in southern California. The Trailblazers (2-13, 2-7 PacWest) head first to Point Loma in San Diego, for a 2 p.m. Pacific Time (3 p.m. MT) matchup with the Sea Lions, then close the trip with a 5:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. MT) tilt with Concordia in Irvine.

Live audio coverage is scheduled for both games on radio (Radio Dixie 91.3 FM) and internet (SouthernUtahLive.com), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play.

ALL-TIME VS. POINT LOMA: Saturday's game marks the 10th meeting between Dixie State and Point Loma. DSU won the inaugural matchup, 80-63, on Dec. 15, 2012, in St. George, and went on to win four of the first five meetings between the teams. PLNU has turned the table in the series, winning three of the last four matchups, including an 83-62 victory inside the Burns Arena on December 19. Dixie State maintains a 5-4 series edge, including a 4-0 mark in San Diego.

ALL-TIME VS. CONCORDIA: Monday's game marks the fifth meeting between Dixie State and Concordia. The teams first met on Dec. 7, 2007, in Irvine, California, with DSU earning a 65-57 victory. The Trailblazers and Eagles split their two games in the 2015-16 season, with the home team winning each contest. CUI won the most recent matchup, an 89-78 victory inside the Burns Arena on December 3. The series is currently tied at 2-2.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Point Loma enters Saturday's matchup with a 13-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in Pacific West Conference play, good enough for second place in the conference behind California Baptist. The Sea Lions lead the PacWest (26th nationally) in scoring defense, allowing just 56.2 points per game. Five PLNU players average double-figure scoring, including Alex Brunk (14.0 ppg), Kassidy Gengenbacher (12.3 ppg), Madison West (11.5 ppg), Roya Rustamzada (11.3 ppg), and Sydney Tonack (10.2 ppg).

Concordia enters the weekend with a 6-7 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the PacWest Conference. The Eagles finished their three-game Hawaii trip with a 2-1 record, and will travel to Riverside for a matchup with California Baptist on Saturday before the matchup with Dixie State on Monday. Sopavy Seng leads the CUI attack, averaging 13.2 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State shot 30 percent (18-of-60) from the field, 23 percent (8-of-34) from beyond the arc, and 70 percent (19-of-27) from the free throw line in a 72-63 loss to Dominican at the Burns Arena on Wednesday. Ali Franks (Redding, Calif./Enterprise HS) led four DSU players in double figures with 15 points and 14 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. Matti Ventling (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas HS) also finished with 15 points, while Jaden Gonzales (Plainview, Texas/Plainview HS) added 12 points, and Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley HS) finished with a career-high 10 points.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: Over the last six games, freshman guard Ali Franks (Redding, Calif./Enterprise HS) is averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Franks has reached double figures in five of the games, including a career-high 16 points at Fresno Pacific on January 3, and her first collegiate double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) vs. Dominican on Wednesday. Fellow freshman guard Jaden Gonzales (Plainview, Texas/Plainview HS) has also emerged as big contributor, recording a career-high 15 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, at Notre Dame de Namur on January 7. Gonzales added another 12 points vs. Dominican on Wednesday.  

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. VanCampen spent two seasons at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, and averaged 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Ventling played two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she averaged 8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds 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.

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 Kili 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.

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.

Gustin is joined by new assistant coaches Nicole Yazzie (Westminster, 2013) and Brennon Schweikart (BYU-Hawaii, 2013).

NEXT UP: Dixie State hosts Azusa Pacific inside the Burns Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. The game marks the first of a five-game homestand for the Trailblazers.