The Dixie State women's basketball team opens the home portion of its 2017-18 schedule this week with two games inside the Burns Arena. The Trailblazers (1-1) will host Colorado Mesa on Friday at 5 p.m., before hosting Montana State-Northern on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Live coverage is scheduled on television (CEC-TV – TDS Cable Channel 22) and online on the DSU Athletics YouTube page (YouTube.com/DixieStateAthletics). Live stats will also be provided for both games at www.sidearmstats.com/dixie/wbball.

ALL-TIME IN HOME-OPENERS: Dixie State is 7-4 all-time in home-openers inside the Burns Arena. DSU emerged victorious in its first seven (2006-12) Division II era home-openers, before dropping its last four home-openers.

ALL-TIME VS. COLORADO MESA: Friday's game marks the ninth meeting between Dixie State and Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks earned a 66-59 victory in the inaugural matchup between the teams on Nov. 25, 2006, in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Trailblazers answered with a four-game win streak (2006-10) vs. CMU. Colorado Mesa countered with its own win streak and has won the last three matchups in the series, including a 68-54 triumph inside the Burns Arena last season. The series is tied at 4-4, while DSU holds a 3-1 advantage inside the Burns Arena.

ALL-TIME VS. MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN: Sunday's matchup marks the first meeting between Dixie State and Montana-State Northern. The game will count in the standings for DSU, but is considered an exhibition for MSUN.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Colorado Mesa enters Friday's game with a 2-0 record, having defeated Midwestern State and Cameron University last week in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Mavericks were picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Poll. Three CMU players are averaging double-figure scoring, including senior guard Erin Reichle (13.5 ppg), who was named to the preseason All-RMAC team. Junior guard Jaylyn Duran (19.0 ppg) leads the CMU scoring attack, while senior center Ma'ata Epenisa adds 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Montana State-Northern is an NAIA school located in Havre, Montana. The Skylights enter the game with a 5-1 record and have won their last five games after dropping a 54-53 decision in the season-opener.  Four MSUN players average double-figure scoring, including sophomore guard Shiloh McCormick (12.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg), senior guard Peyton Filius (12.3 ppg), senior guard Jacy Thompson (11.8 ppg), and junior forward Jessica Curl (11.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg).

2017-18 ROSTER: Dixie State returns five starters from the 2016-17 squad, including redshirt junior guard Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) (11.0 ppg, 3.7 apg), senior center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman HS) (9.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg), senior guard Matti Ventling (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas HS) (9.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and sophomore guard Ali Franks (Redding, Calif./Enterprise HS) (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Senior forward Lisa VanCampen (Morgan, Utah/Morgan HS) (7.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) will redshirt during the 2017-18 season. Senior guard Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley HS) (4.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg) also returns for her final season in a DSU uniform.

The Trailblazers added two transfer players for the 2017-18 season, including senior center Kristin Baldwin (Thatcher, Ariz./Thatcher HS) and junior forward Maile Richardson (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS).

Baldwin averaged a double-double as a junior at BYU-Hawaii during the 2016-17 season, scoring 12.0 points per game to go with 10.9 rebounds per game to land All-PacWest honorable mention honors. Prior to BYU-Hawaii, Baldwin played two seasons at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

Richardson played two seasons at Utah State-Eastern in Price, Utah. Richardson averaged 8.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in two seasons for the Eagles, earning All-Scenic West Athletic Conference honorable mention honors.

Five new freshmen join the ranks this year in guards Mariah Martin (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS), Tayor Moeaki, Keslee Stevenson (Willard, Utah/Box Elder HS), and Morgan Myers (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS), and forward Shandi Bastian (Sigurd, Utah/Richfield HS).

Martin averaged 16.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 steals as a senior at Alta High School. Moeaki averaged 18.6 points, 3.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as a senior at American Fork High School. Stevenson averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 steals, and 2.0 assists per game as a senior at Box Elder High School. Myers averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 steals per game as a senior at Desert Hills High School. Bastian averaged 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a senior at Richfield High School.

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach JD Gustin begins his second season at Dixie State in the 2017-18 campaign. Prior to Dixie State, Gustin served 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 second-year assistant Nicole Yazzie (Westminster, 2013), while Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation inductee Deb Bennett (BYU, 1977) joins the staff as an assistant coach.

UP NEXT: Dixie State continues its four-game homestand, hosting Antelope Valley on Tuesday and Westminster next Friday.