The Dixie State women's basketball team continues its four-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Antelope Valley at 4 p.m. inside the Burns Arena.
Live coverage is scheduled on television (CEC-TV – TDS Cable Channel 22) and online on the Dixie State Athletics YouTube Page. Live stats will also be available at www.sidearmstats.com/dixie/wbball.
ALL-TIME VS. ANTELOPE VALLEY: Tuesday's game marks the first meeting between Dixie State and Antelope Valley.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Antelope Valley is an NAIA Division II school located in Lancaster, California. The Pioneers currently hold a 5-2 record, and will take on Weber State on Monday in Ogden, Utah, before heading south for the matchup vs. Trailblazers. Two UAV players average double-figure scoring, including junior guards Samantha Earl (14.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Ahjana Oakes (10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State led wire-to-wire and earned its first home win of the season on Sunday, defeating Montana State-Northern 77-66 inside the Burns Arena.
The Trailblazers used a fast start and a stingy defensive effort to secure the win, forcing 22 MSUN turnovers while logging a season-high 15 steals and nine blocks en route to the victory.Dixie State shot 43 percent (28-of-64) from the field, 22 percent (5-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line. Defensively, the nine DSU blocks marked the most blocks in a single game since a home win over BYU-Hawaii during the 2012-13 season.
Ali Franks (Redding, Calif./Enterprise HS) tied a career-high mark with 19 points and three rebounds, while Taylor Moeaki (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) added a career-high 18 points. Kristin Baldwin (Thatcher, Ariz./Thatcher HS) turned in a solid performance, logging eight points, seven rebounds, and six blocks, while Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman HS) contributed seven points and six rebounds. Morgan Myers (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) was a force defensively, recording five steals and a block to go with two points and an assist.
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 wraps up its four-game homestand vs. Westminster on Friday inside the Burns Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
