Dixie State wraps up four-game road swing at No. 20 Colorado Mesa and Western Colorado

Trailblazers battle the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the RMAC

Dixie State Women's Basketball at #20 Colorado Mesa / Western Colorado
Date/Time	Friday, Jan. 25 - at CMU - 5:30 p.m. - Grand Junction, Colo. Saturday, Jan. 26 - at WCU - 5 p.m. - Gunnison, Colo.
Game Notes	Dixie State (PDF) , Colorado Mesa , Western Colorado
Live Video	Colorado Mesa , Western Colorado
Live Stats	Colorado Mesa , Western Colorado
DSU Social Media	@DixieAthletics (Twitter score updates) Facebook \| Instagram
Hashtags	#DixieBlazers #RMACwbb

Dixie State women's basketball embarks on one of its toughest trips of the season this week to battle the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. DSU will open the trip at RMAC leader and No. 20 Colorado Mesa on Friday in Grand Junction, Colorado, before traveling to Gunnison to battle third-ranked Western Colorado on Saturday.

Friday's game at CMU will tip off at 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's contest at WCU is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start. Live video and live stats will be provided by both sports information staffs. Links for both can be found at DixieStateAthletics.com.

ALL-TIME VS. COLORADO MESA: Friday's game marks the 10th overall meeting between Dixie State and Colorado Mesa, while the matchup will mark the first RMAC contest between the teams. 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 four matchups in the series, including a 61-47 triumph inside the Burns Arena last season. CMU holds a 5-4 series lead, while DSU holds a 3-1 advantage in Grand Junction.

ALL-TIME VS. WESTERN COLORADO: Saturday's game marks the fifth overall meeting between Dixie State and Western Colorado, while the matchup will mark the first RMAC contest between the teams. Dixie State won the first three matchups (2006, 2009, 2013) between the teams, before WCU claimed a 68-59 triumph on Nov. 27, 2015, for its first win of the series. DSU holds a 3-1 series lead.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Colorado Mesa enters the weekend with a No. 20 national ranking and boasts a 14-1 overall record to go with an undefeated 11-0 mark in RMAC play. The Mavericks are currently tied with Westminster for first place in the conference. CMU leads the RMAC in scoring defense, allowing just 51.3 points per game. Offensively, senior guard Jaylyn Duran leads the RMAC, averaging 21.5 points per game.

Western Colorado enters the weekend with a 12-3 overall record and an 8-3 mark in RMAC play. The Mountaineers have won nine of their last 10 games and will host Westminster on Friday before Saturday's matchup against Dixie State. WCU boasts the No. 2 scoring defense in the RMAC, allowing just 53.8 points per game. Offensively, two WCU players average double-figure scoring, including sophomore guard Samantha Coleman (12.1 ppg) and sophomore forward Katie Dalton (10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT: Dixie State posted its fifth-highest shooting percentage, and the highest since 2012, of the NCAA Division II era en route to a 74-70 victory over Regis on Saturday, shooting a season-high 56 percent (27-of-48) from the field.

MAKING HISTORY: The Trailblazers set a program record for single-game free throw percentage in a 74-60 win over Antelope Valley on December 29, converting 30-of-31 (96.8 percent) attempts to best the mark (22-23, 95.7 percent) set against Academy of Art in 2011.

NEW SEASON, NEW CONFERENCE: After 11 seasons as a member of the Pacific West Conference, the Trailblazers officially opened their RMAC membership on December 1. Dixie State logged a 112-86 record as a member of the PacWest and finished in second place three times (2010-12). DSU was picked to finish in 10th place in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll.

ON THE ROAD: Since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 2006-07, Dixie State has recorded a 63-90 (.411) 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 48-51 (.484) conference road record and a 19-16 (.543) record in neutral-site games.

PERFECT PRESEASON: Dixie State recorded the best start since the 2010-11 season, posting a 3-0 mark with wins over Northern New Mexico (93-52), Western Oregon (59-40), and Saint Martin's (107-103 – 3 OT).

DOUBLE-DIGIT FRENZY: For the second time this season, five Trailblazers finished in double figures as DSU defeated Saint Martin's, 107-103, in triple overtime on November 17. Rashel Blazzard led the way with 24 points, while Lisa VanCampen and Ali Franks each set a new career high with 23 points. Mariah Martin added 14 points, while London Pavlica chipped in 13 points.

2018-19 TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State looks to build on a 12-15 overall record and an 8-12 mark in PacWest play during the 2017-18 season. The Trailblazers enter their first year as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in the 2018-19 campaign.

Dixie State returns two starters from the 2017-18 squad, including sophomore guard Mariah Martin (10.5 ppg, 4.6 apg) and senior forward Maile Richardson (7.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Three DSU reserves return for the new season, including junior guard Ali Franks (8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), sophomore guard Keslee Stevenson (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg), and sophomore guard Morgan Myers (2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg). Redshirt senior forward Lisa VanCampen (7.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) also returns after redshirting during the 2017-18 season.

The Trailblazers added three transfer players for the 2018-19 season, including junior guards Rashel Blazzard, Madi Loftus, and Deshka Olson.

Blazzard averaged 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game at USU-Eastern during the 2017-18 campaign. Blazzard played her freshman season at Westminster College, averaging 7.8 points and 1.0 rebound per game.

Loftus played two seasons at USU-Eastern, where she averaged a team-high 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game last season as a sophomore and earned first team All-SWAC honors.

Olson Appeared in 24 games and made one start at Loyola Marymount during the 2014-15 season. She averaged 8.8 minutes and 2.2 points per game and connected on 11 3-pointers.

Junior guard Amy Green also joins the Trailblazers this season for her first year of collegiate basketball. Green averaged 17.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.4 steals, and 4.3 assists per game as a senior at Snow Canyon High School, leading the Warriors to the 2012 3A State Championship. She earned Adidas All-American honors and was a McDonalds All-American nominee.

Five new freshman join the ranks this year in guards Kelsea Barker, London Pavlica, and Jaimee Stahlee, along with center Cameron Mooney and forward Lana Olevao.

Barker averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as a senior at Dixie High School. Pavlica averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game as a senior at Liberty High School. Stahlee averaged 16.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior at Bountiful High School. Mooney averaged 11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a senior at Skyline High School. Olevao averaged 10.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior at Highland High School.

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach JD Gustin begins his third season at Dixie State in the 2018-19 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 third-year assistant Nicole Yazzie (Westminster, 2013), while Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation inductee Deb Bennett (BYU, 1977) returns for her second year on the staff as an assistant coach. Jonathan Long joins the staff as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 season after serving last year as a student assistant, while Connor Frith remains as student assistant.

UP NEXT: Dixie State opens a four-game homestand next weekend, hosting Fort Lewis on Friday and Adams State on Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Ali Franks: Guard; 5' 10"; Junior

#3 Mariah Martin: Guard; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#21 Morgan Myers: Guard; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#32 Cameron Mooney: Center; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#23 Ali Franks
: 5' 10"; Junior
: Guard

#3 Mariah Martin
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: Guard

#21 Morgan Myers
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: Guard

#32 Cameron Mooney
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: Center