Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Women's Basketball 2/22/2018 1:23:00 AM By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Women’s Basketball closes season with two-game SoCal trip

Trailblazers play at Biola on Thursday and Point Loma on Saturday

DSU Women's Basketball at Biola/Point Loma
Date/Time	Thursday, Feb. 22 (BU) 5:30 pm PT (6:30 pm MT) Chase Gymnasium - La Mirada, Calif. Saturday, Feb. 24 (PLNU) - 2 p.m. PT (3 p.m MT) Golden Gymnasium - San Diego, Calif.
Live Video	Biola , Point Loma
Live Stats	Biola , Point Loma
DSU Social Media	@DixieAthletics (Twitter score updates) Facebook \| Instagram
Hashtags	#BlazeForward #PacWestWBB

After completing its final homestand of the year, Dixie State women's basketball heads to southern California this week for the final two games of the 2017-18 season. DSU will travel to Biola (6:30 p.m. MT) on Thursday, before closing the season at Point Loma (3 p.m. MT) on Saturday.

Live audio coverage is scheduled on radio (Radio Dixie 91.3), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play. Live video and stats will also be provided by BU and PLNU sports information staff. Links for both can be found at DixieStateAthletics.com.

ALL-TIME VS. BIOLA: Thursday's game marks the third meeting between Dixie State and Biola. The teams first met on Dec. 8, 2006, in La Mirada, California. The Eagles claimed a 69-61 win the in first matchup, followed by a 66-56 victory inside the Burns Arena in the most recent matchup on January 3. Biola holds a 2-0 lead in the overall series.

ALL-TIME VS. POINT LOMA: Saturday's game marks the 12th 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 five of the last six matchups, including an 85-80 overtime victory in the Burns Arena on December 30. PLNU leads the overall series at 6-5, while the Trailblazers hold a 4-1 advantage in San Diego.

DOUBLE-FIGURE FRENZY: Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman HS) (17 points), Keslee Stevenson (Willard, Utah/Box Elder HS) (15 points), Mariah Martin (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS) (12 points), Kristin Baldwin (Thatcher, Ariz./Thatcher HS) (11 points), Taylor Moeaki (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) (11 points), and Maile Richardson (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) (10 points) each eclipsed the double-figure barrier in last week's 88-86 win over Fresno Pacific, marking the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era with six players in double figures in a single game.

ON THE ROAD: Since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 2006-07, Dixie State has recorded a 61-83 (.424) record in true-road games and has logged a winning record on the road three times (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13). Additionally, the Trailblazers have posted a 47-48 (.495) PacWest road record and a 19-16 (.543) record in neutral-site games.

PACK THE BURNS: Dixie State women's basketball set a new program single-game (home or away) attendance record on January 8 when 1,855 fans packed the Burns Arena for a showdown with California Baptist. The mark shattered the previous home record of 1,218 (vs. BYU-Hawaii, 1/27/11), and marked just the second women's basketball crowd of 1,000 or more fans inside the Burns Arena since becoming a Division II member in 2006.

PACWEST WEEKLY AWARDS: Dixie State earned PacWest weekly awards in three consecutive weeks in late November and early December. Taylor Moeaki (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) snagged the first conference honor and was named PacWest Freshman of the Week on November 27. Mariah Martin (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS) earned conference Freshman of the Week honors a week later on December 4, while Kristin Baldwin (Thatcher, Ariz./Thatcher HS) landed DSU's first conference Player of the Week award since the 2015-16 season on December 11.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Dixie State's 66-62 win over No. 13 Azusa Pacific on December 11 marked DSU's first-ever victory over the Cougars and the team's first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 8, 2011. Additionally, Dixie State's 6-3 start was the program's best start since the 2012-13 season when the Trailblazers also recorded a 6-3 start.

LAST TIME OUT: The Dixie State women's basketball team honored its four seniors prior to tipoff on Monday, then sent them out in winning fashion with an 87-50 triumph over Holy Names on Senior Night inside the Burns Arena.

The Trailblazers never trailed in the contest, outscoring the Hawks in each quarter on the way to recording its largest margin of victory this season for the second time this month. DSU also converted on 13-of-30 3-point attempts, marking the second-most 3-pointers made this year.

Dixie State raced to a 9-0 lead less than three minutes into the game when Matti Ventling (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas HS), Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley HS), and Keslee Stevenson (Willard, Utah/Box Elder HS) each buried a triple to set the tone for the night. Holy Names countered with five consecutive points, but DSU responded with a 7-2 run to build a 16-6 lead. Maile Richardson (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) scored five of the seven points during the stretch.

The Trailblazers enjoyed their highest scoring quarter of the night in the second frame, outscoring the Hawks 26-12. DSU forced 11 HNU turnovers during the quarter and turned those turnovers into 10 points. Taylor Moeaki (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) scored six points during the stanza, while Ventling and Mariah Martin (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS) added five points each to help build a 42-21 halftime lead.

Dixie State opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 52-23 at the 7:01 mark. Cabanero scored on back-to-back layups during the run, while Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman HS) and Moeaki each added a layup. The teams went back and forth for the final five minutes and DSU took a 63-36 lead to the fourth quarter.

The Trailblazers used their second-quarter performance as a blueprint for the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hawks 24-14 in the final frame. Dixie State shot a blistering 53 percent (8-of-15) from the field in the quarter and buried five triples. Ventling accounted for three of the fives 3-pointers for nine points during the stretch, while Morgan Myers (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) buried the other two treys to help seal the 87-50 victory.

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.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Tramina Jordan: G; 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior

#RS Lisa VanCampen: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#22 Matti Ventling: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#20 Ashlee Burge: C; 6' 0"; Senior

#12 Gabrielle Cabanero: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#23 Ali Franks: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#3 Mariah Martin: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

#4 Taylor Moeaki: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

#11 Keslee Stevenson: G; 5' 11"; Freshman

#14 Shandi Bastian: F; 5' 11"; Freshman

#15 Maile Richardson: F; 6' 1"; Junior

#42 Kristin Baldwin: F/C; 6' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#1 Tramina Jordan
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#RS Lisa VanCampen
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#22 Matti Ventling
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#20 Ashlee Burge
: 6' 0"; Senior
: C

#12 Gabrielle Cabanero
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#23 Ali Franks
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Mariah Martin
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

#4 Taylor Moeaki
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

#11 Keslee Stevenson
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: G

#14 Shandi Bastian
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: F

#15 Maile Richardson
: 6' 1"; Junior
: F

#42 Kristin Baldwin
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F/C