Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts SDSU, Hawai'i
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
January 13, 1999
Game #14
Utah Utes (9-4, 0-1 WAC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (4-10, 1-1 WAC)
Jan. 14 - Jon M. Huntsman Center - Salt Lake City - 7:00 p.m.
Game #15
Utah Utes (9-4, 0-1 WAC) vs. Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (9-5, 1-1 WAC)
Jan. 17 - Jon M. Huntsman Center - Salt Lake City - 12:00 p.m. - FOX Sports Net
UTAH PROBABLE LINE-UP: Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. Hometown Statistics F 21 Kristina Andersen 6-1 So. Eugene, Ore. 6.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg F 32 Lori Red 5-11 So. Provo, Utah 11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 apg C 44 Kristi Rose 6-4 Jr. Palmdale, Calif. 7.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg G 14 Erin Gibbons 5-9 Fr. Salmon Arm, B.C. 11.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg G 22 Tiana Fuertes 5-3 Jr. Honolulu, Hawaii 6.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.2 apgOFF THE BENCH: Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. Hometown Statistics G 11 Karie Allen 5-7 Jr. Bountiful, Utah 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg F 13 Katherine McColl 6-0 Fr. Hamilton, Ontario 6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg F 15 Lindsay Sodja 6-1 So. Taylorsville, Utah 2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg F 24 Amy Ewert 6-0 So. Vancouver, B.C. 3.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg F/G 25 Lindsay Herbert 5-11 Fr. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 1.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg G 30 Janna Whitman 5-10 Jr. Magna, Utah 0.4 ppg, 0.1 rpg F 40 Erin Hansen 6-3 Fr. Orem, Utah 1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg
GAME DATA: The Utah Utes (9-4, 0-1 WAC) play two home games against Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division rivals this week at the Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000). Utah hosts the San Diego State Aztecs (4-10, 1-1 WAC) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (9-5, 1-1 WAC) on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: The Utes are 9-4 overall and 0-1 in league play, losing back-to-back games for this first time this season after winning nine of their first 11 contests. Utah opened Western Athletic Conference play with a 57-53 loss at Brigham Young last Saturday. Last Tuesday, the Utes dropped their final non-conference game to SMU, 80-69, in Salt Lake City.
Three Utes are averaging double figures in scoring. Freshman 5-9 guard Erin Gibbons leads the team and ranks 20th in the WAC in scoring (11.9 ppg). Gibbons also ranks sixth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (36.1) and third in three pointers per game (2.0). Freshman 6-2 forward/center Lauren Beckman, despite playing off the bench, is second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg). She also leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.0 bpg) and ranks ninth in rebounding (7.2 rpg). Sophomore 5-11 forward Lori Red is third on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Junior 6-4 center Kristi Rose, who is averaging 7.9 points and 4.1 boards per game, ranks fifth in the league in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Junior 5-3 point guard Tiana Fuertes is third in the WAC in assists (5.2 apg).
Utah has outscored its opposition this season by an average of nine points a game, ranking fourth in the WAC in both scoring (68.8 ppg) and scoring defense (59.8 ppg). Utah has a 3.9 boards per game advantage over its opponents (38.9 to 35.0) to rank second in the league in rebound margin. The Utes are shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from behind the arc and 69.2 percent from the free throw line. Head coach Elaine Elliott has made up for the loss of four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team by utilizing a deep bench. Nine players are averaging at least 10.5 minutes a game.
ON RADIO: AM-700 KWLW in Salt Lake City will carry the Utah-Hawai'i game live, beginning with a 15-minute pre-game show at 11:45 a.m. leading up to tip-off. Brad Stone (play-by-play) and Reggie Wright-Jewkes (analyst) call the action. The game will also be broadcast live on the internet. The address is http://www.broadcast.com/ sports/ncaa/Utah/WomensBasketball. A link is also provided from Utah's internet home page at www.UtahUtes.com.
ON TELEVISION: FOX Sports Net will televise the Utah-Hawai'i game live as the WAC Game of the Week. The cable sports network will broadcast the game on its FOX Sports Rocky Mountain (Ch. 26 TCI Cable in Salt Lake City) and FOX Sports West regional affiliates. Jeff Rickard (play-by-play) and Holly Rowe (color) will call the action.
COMING UP: Utah plays two games on the road next week. The Utes play at San Jose State on Thursday (Jan. 21) at 7:00 p.m. (PST) and at Fresno State on Sunday (Jan. 24) at 12:00 p.m. (PST) in a game televised by FOX Sports Net.
UTAH VS. SAN DIEGO STATE PREVIEW
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs are 4-10 overall and 1-1 in Western Athletic Conference action after losing to New Mexico, 66-53, last Thursday and defeating UTEP, 67-50, last Saturday to open their Pacific Division schedule at home. San Diego State has not won back-to-back games all season and dropped four in a row in mid-December.
Eleven different players have been in the starting line-up this season. Junior 5-8 guard Sophia Sledge has started eight of the 14 games and leads the Aztecs in scoring (11.2 ppg). Sledge also ranks 13th in the WAC in both three-point field goal percentage (26.3) and three pointers made per game (1.5). Sophomore 5-11 forward Anita Bundage ranks eighth in the WAC in rebounding (7.8 rpg). Senior 5-3 guard Charley Murray is averaging 9.0 points per game. Sophomore 5-9 guard Shannon Lee is 14th in the conference in assists (2.9 apg).
The Aztecs rank 13th in the WAC in scoring margin, having been outscored 72.1 to 61.3 points per game. They rank 15th in the conference in rebound margin with a 40.9 to 34.5 disadvantage. San Diego State is shooting 37.6 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three-point range and 65.3 percent from the free throw line.
AZTEC HEAD COACH BARB SMITH... has a 14-25 career record in her second year with the Aztecs. Prior to taking over the SDSU program, Smith was an assistant coach for nine seasons at Colorado, helping guide the Buffaloes to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and five conference championships. She played at Ohio State from 1982-86.
THE SERIES: Utah and San Diego State, two of the most successful teams in the history of the Western Athletic Conference, meet for the 18th time on Thursday night. The Aztecs lead the series 10-7 overall, but have won just six of the eight games played in Salt Lake City. The two teams have split the last four games, meeting most recently in the championship game of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. on March 8, 1997. San Diego State won that game 56-50. The Utes won the last game played in the Huntsman Center, 69-56 on Feb. 22, 1996.
Both Utah and SDSU have won three conference overall or divisional championships. The Utes lead the WAC in NCAA Tournament appearances with nine, while the Aztecs are third among league teams with six NCAA appearances.
UTAH VS. HAWAI'I PREVIEW
SCOUTING HAWAI'I: The Rainbow Wahine enter Thursday night's game at Brigham Young with a 9-5 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Western Athletic Conference action. Last weekend, UH opened conference play at home, defeating UTEP, 68-31, and losing to New Mexico, 71-66.
Junior 5-11 guard Raylene Howard leads the Rainbow Wahine and ranks second in the WAC in scoring (21.1 ppg). Howard also ranks first in the conference in field goal percentage (58.2) and is third in rebounding (8.6 rpg). Senior 5-5 guard BJ Itoman is second on the team and ranks 11th in the WAC in scoring (12.6 ppg). She also ranks fifth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (39.4), fifth in three-pointers made per game (1.9), fourth in assists (5.0 apg) and ninth in steals (2.3 spg). Junior Hedy Liu ranks fourth in the league with an average of 1.3 blocked shots per game. She is also the team's fifth-best scorer (8.9 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (5.4 rpg).
Hawai'i ranks fourth in the WAC in scoring margin, having outscored its opposition 67.8 to 58.8 points per game. It also ranks 12th in the league in rebound margin with a deficit of 2.9 rebounds per game.
HAWAI'I HEAD COACH VINCE GOO... takes a 233-100 career record in 12 seasons into Thursday night's game at Brigham Young. Goo led UH to a 24-2 overall record last season and the WAC Pacific Division title. The Rainbow Wahine have made five NCAA Tournament appearances during Goo's tenure, including a first round loss to Final Four participant Arkansas last year.
THE SERIES: Utah and Hawai'i meet for just the second time on Sunday. The Utes took the first game 77-55 on Nov. 23, 1981 in Salt Lake City.
UTAH-HAWAI'I TIES: Ute junior point guard Tiana Fuertes is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii. This is the first time the U. has played UH since Fuertes joined the Utes in 1996-97. Fuertes, who graduated from Iolani High School, played prep basketball with the Rainbow Wahine's BJ Itoman for three years. The duo lead their team to the Hawaii state championship in 1995. Fuertes led Iolani to another state title in 1996 and was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.
UTAH TEAM NOTES
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Two of the Utes' losses have been by one point ... Six of Utah's nine wins have been by more than 10 points ... In its first 11 games, Utah shot 47.3 percent from the field. In the last two games (both losses), Utah shot 34.7 percent from the field ... The Utes have outshot their opponents from the field in 11 of 13 games. The exceptions were a loss at Brigham Young, when Utah shot a season-low 30.4 percent, and a loss to SMU, when the Utes shot 37.5 percent ... Utah has shot a better percentage than its opponents from three-point range in eight of 13 games. It has also made more three-pointers in all but four games: a loss at Bradley (a 5-4 disadvantage), a loss to Colorado State (both teams made 8), a loss to SMU (a 7-6 disadvantage) and a loss at Brigham Young (both teams made 5) ... Utah has been outrebounded four times in 13 games: a win at Weber State, a win at San Francisco, a loss to SMU and a loss at BYU ... Utah has had more blocked shots than its opponents in every game except three: a loss at Bradley (each team had three), a loss to SMU (a 3-1 disadvantage) and a loss at BYU (a 2-0 disadvantage).
GAME #13 RECAP: Utah's comeback from a 20-point first-half deficit came up short as the Utes lost their Western Athletic Conference opener to Brigham Young, 57-53, on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
Utah struggled with cold shooting for the second consecutive game, making a season-low 30.4 percent of the its field goals, including 5-of-22 three-pointers, and 60 percent of its free throws. BYU shot 42.3 percent from the field and had a 42-39 edge on the boards.
It was the 67th meeting between the old rivals. BYU has taken the last three meetings dating back to last February after Utah won 10 straight from the Cougars from 1995-98.
Lauren Beckman played 25 minutes off the bench to lead Utah (9-4, 0-1 WAC) with 13 points, making 4-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 free throws. She also had six rebounds. Erin Gibbons scored 11 points, but went just 4-for-14 from the field. Katherine McColl had nine points, six boards and three steals. Lori Red, a Provo native, led the Utes with eight boards and four assists, and also scored five points.
Center Jill Adams shot 7-of-10 to record game-highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds. She also had five steals. BYU (7-6, 1-0 WAC) led 17-6 after six minutes and increased their advantage to 20 points with just under five minutes remaining in the first half before the Utes got untracked.
Utah got within 34-24 at halftime after BYU went scoreless in the final 4:46 of the first half. The Utes came back with another run late in the game, holding the Cougars scoreless for a 7:41 stretch. Gibbons drilled back-to-back three-pointers to cut the BYU lead to 51-46 with 4:35 to play.
Adams then hit a 12-footer from the left wing to make it 53-46 at the 3:31 mark. Despite several opportunities, Utah could get no closer than five until Red swished a three-pointer with fourth-tenths of a second to play.
ELLIOTT ELABORATES: On the loss to BYU - "We did not perform well in certain critical areas, such as defense and rebounding. And I'm not surprised by that. We're a young team still learning how to do those things. But, when you couple that with the fact that we only shot 30 percent, it's obvious why we lost the game. I was proud of the way we played with our backs against the wall. Very proud. We're going to win some games in the WAC this year, and we're going have a good team."
NCAA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (Released Jan. 4):
Blocked Shots Lauren Beckman 14th (2.4)
WAC TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS (Released Jan. 10):
Scoring 4th (68.8) Rebounds 5th (38.9) Scoring Defense 4th (59.4) Opponents' Rebounds 2nd (34.8) Scoring Margin 4th (+9.0) Rebound Margin 1st (+4.1) Field Goal Percentage 4th (.451) Blocks 1st (4.5) Field Goal Pct. Defense 4th (.378) Steals 16th (6.7) 3-Point FG Percentage 4th (.333) Turnover Margin 6th (+0.2) 3-Point FG Per Game 4th (5.6) Free Throw Percentage 6th (.692)
WAC INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS (Released Jan. 10):
Scoring Erin Gibbons 20th (11.9)
3-Point Percentage Erin Gibbons 6th (.361)
Rebounds Lauren Beckman 9th (7.2)
Assists Tiana Fuertes 3rd (5.0)
Blocked Shots Lauren Beckman 1st (2.0)
Kristi Rose 5th (1.3)
3-Point Field Goals Erin Gibbons 3rd (2.0)
UTE HEAD COACH ELAINE ELLIOTT... is the winningest coach in Utah women's basketball history. Now in her 16th season as Utah's head coach after spending four years as an assistant coach at the U., Elliott has a 311-137 (.694) career record and a 149-40 mark in conference games. The Dean of the Western Athletic Conference coaches, Elliott has the longest tenure at her current institution and the most career wins among the league's coaches. Elliott recorded her 300th career victory on Feb. 14, 1998 with a 67-53 win over Colorado State.
Elliott has had ten 20-win seasons and three 19-win campaigns, averaging 20 wins in 15 years at the U. Last season, she was honored as the WBCA District VII Coach of the Year and the WAC Mountain Division Co-Coach of the Year, leading Utah to its second-consecutive conference divisional title. Elliott was also named the WAC Mountain Division Coach of the Year in 1996-97, and recently led Utah to the WAC regular-season championship in 1996 and the WAC Tournament championship in 1995.
Elliott has coached teams to a total of four regular-season conference crowns (1986, 87, 89, 96), two divisional titles (1997, 98) and four league tournament championships (1989, 90, 91, 94). Eight of her teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1986, 89, 90, 91, 95, 96, 97, 98).
ROSE SENDS 'EM BACK: Early in her junior season, 6-4 center Kristi Rose has already moved into third place in career blocked shots at Utah with 106. With two blocked shots at Bradley on Nov. 14, she tied Cindy Lindsay for third place (90). She needs 12 more to tie Mikki Kane-Barton for second place (118) and 18 more to tie Sandy Kovach for first place (124). With Rose recording 54 rejections last season, the second-most in a season in school history, she is likely to become Utah's all-time blocked shots leader in 1998-99. She already had 17 blocked shots this season.
Rose ranks sixth in the Western Athletic Conference in career blocked shots, and needs 11 more to tie Jessica Thompson, who played at Wyoming from 1993-97, for fourth place.
TWIN TOWERS: Junior 6-4 center Kristi Rose, the Utes only returning starter, has had plenty of help in the paint this season with the emergence of freshman 6-2 forward/center Lauren Beckman. Rose continues her climb the Utah career blocked shots chart, averaging 1.3 blocks per game. She is also averaging 7.9 points-shooting a team-best 59.0 percent from the field-and 4.1 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game. Rose has led the Utes in scoring four times and once in rebounding.
Despite the fact that she does not start, Beckman plays an average of 21.6 minutes per game. She is second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), first in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and first in blocked shots (2.0 bpg). Beckman is also shooting 58.3 percent from the field. She posted a career-high 19 points against No. 12 Colorado State on Dec. 3 and a career-best 13 rebounds against Idaho on Dec. 12. Beckman has led the Utes in scoring twice and rebounding seven times. She has reached double figures in points 10 times and rebounds four times.
Combined, Rose and Beckman are averaging 19.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots per game. As of Jan. 10, Beckman was ninth in the Western Athletic Conference in rebounds (7.3 rpg). Utah led the league with 4.5 blocks per game, with Beckman ranking first (2.0) and Rose fifth (1.3) in the league, individually.
SEEING RED: Sophomore 5-11 forward Lori Red, coming off of a redshirt year, has been one of the most consistent players in the Utah line-up this season. The Provo, Utah, native is third on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.3 rpg) while playing 30.5 minutes per game. She is shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three-point range (16-for-46) and a team-best 84.6 percent from the free throw line (22-for-26). Red has led the Utes in scoring in three games, posting double-figures eight times. She had a career-high 21 points against Kansas State on Nov. 28. Red has led the Utes in rebounding three times, posting five or more boards eight times.
In the four games prior to the BYU game last Saturday, dating back to the Dec. 19 contest at Weber State, Red averaged 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She was shooting 23-for-43 (53.4%) from the field and 6-for-14 (42.9%) from three-point range. In the game at BYU, she tied career highs with eight rebounds and four assists to lead the Utes in both categories.
GIBBONS FIRES AWAY: Sharpshooting 5-9 freshman guard Erin Gibbons is an early contender for WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year honors. Utah's leading scorer this season, Gibbons is averaging 11.9 points per game. She is also averaging 2.0 three-pointers per game and shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range.
As of Jan. 10. Gibbons ranked 20th in the Western Athletic Conference in scoring (11.9 ppg), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (36.1) and third in three-point field goals per game (2.0). She has scored over 20 points twice, burning Washington State for 22 on Dec. 10 and getting a career-best 23 points against Idaho on Dec. 12, making 9-of-14 field goals. She has led the Utes in scoring five times.
THEY DON'T PLAY LIKE FRESHMAN: Elaine Elliott is getting solid production from her freshman class. Of the five newcomers, four are averaging at least 10.5 minutes per game and three are averaging at least 18.8 minutes per contest. Erin Gibbons, Lauren Beckman and Katherine McColl are among the top seven on the team in scoring with Gibbons ranking first (11.9 ppg), Beckman second (11.3 ppg) and McColl seventh (6.1 ppg). Beckman leads the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and McColl is third (4.7 rpg).
OH, CANADA: Utah has raided the pool of talent to the north, featuring three Canadians on its roster this season. Sophomore 6-0 forward/guard Amy Ewert, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, became the first-ever Canadian to play for the Utes last season. Ewert is joined by two freshmen this season. Erin Gibbons, a 5-9 guard from Salmon Arm, British Columbia; and Katherine McColl, a 6-0 freshman from Hamilton, Ontario, have also made the trek south. All three are averaging at least 12.2 minutes per game and rank among the Utes' top eight scorers and top eight rebounders.
HOME SWEET DOME: After Utah's home loss to SMU on Jan. 5, the Utes have won 45 of their last 48 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center following a loss to Western Athletic Conference rival San Diego State on Jan. 12, 1995. The Utes won all 11 of their home games last season and have taken five of their first seven this season. This season will be the first since 1994-95 that Utah has lost at least two home games in a single season. Utah has an all-time record of 247-30 (.892) under the silver dome.
With Utah's 70-69 loss to 12th-ranked Colorado State on Dec. 3, the Utes' 16-game homecourt winning streak was terminated. It was the 11th-longest active streak in the nation before it ended. The Utes' previous loss at the Jon M. Huntsman Center was also to Colorado State, 79-68, in triple overtime on Feb. 8, 1997.
SILVER ANNIVERSARY SEASON FOR WAC'S TOP PROGRAM: This is the 25th season for the University of Utah women's basketball program, which has an all-time record of 497-201 (.712). Utah is the winningest women's basketball program in Western Athletic Conference history and also has the best record against other league teams with an 87-24 (.784) mark. The Utes have also made the most NCAA Tournament appearances (9) among WAC programs and are tied for the most WAC regular-season titles (3) with San Diego State.
BRING ON THE COMPETITION: Utah has seven games against five teams that played in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, including three non-conference games. Out of the league, Utah's schedule is highlighted by games against Montana, Colorado State and SMU, all at home. Although Colorado State and SMU are members of the Western Athletic Conference, they are aligned in the Mountain Division this year, while Utah is in the Pacific Division. Therefore, those two games do not count as league contests. Montana was the No. 14 seed in the West Region of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, while Colorado State was the No. 12 seed in the Midwest and SMU the No. 11 seed in the East. The Utes have already defeated Montana, 71-64, on Nov. 21; and lost to Colorado State, 70-69, on Dec. 3 and SMU, 80-69, on Jan. 5 at the Huntsman Center.
During the conference season, Utah will be placed in the WAC's Pacific Division with Brigham Young, Fresno State, Hawai'i, New Mexico, San Jose State, San Diego State and UTEP. Hawai'i was the No. 8 seed in the NCAA West Region and New Mexico was the No. 8 seed in the East.
UTES PICKED THIRD IN WAC PRESEASON POLL: Utah was picked to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division in 1998-99 according to the WAC women's basketball coaches' preseason poll.
Despite returning just one starter and six letterwinners, the Utes garnered 93 points and one first-place vote. The U. was picked behind Hawai'i, which collected 115 points and 10 of the 16 first-place votes. New Mexico received 103 points and the remaining five first-place votes.
The remainder of the Pacific Division was predicted as follows: Brigham Young (77), Fresno State (62), UTEP (48), San Diego State (40) and San Jose State (30).
In the Mountain Division, Colorado State garnered 15 first-place votes and 120 points. The Rams were also picked to win the overall 1999 WAC title. Hawai'i, New Mexico and Rice each received one vote in the overall WAC championship balloting.
UTES ON TELEVISION: Utah will make two appearances on regional cable television as well as two appearances on local television this season. The Utes' games with Hawai'i on Jan. 17 at 12:00 p.m. (MST) from the Jon M. Huntsman Center and at Fresno State on Jan. 24 at 12:00 p.m. (PST) will be televised live by FOX Sports Net. The games will be shown on the cable network's Rocky Mountain, Southwest, West 2 and Bay Area affiliates.
KSL-TV (Ch. 5) in Salt Lake City televised Utah's game with Brigham Young on Jan. 9 from Provo, Utah. KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City (Ch. 14, TCI Cable Ch. 3) will televise Utah/BYU game on Feb. 6 at 3:00 p.m. from the Huntsman Center.
UTES ON RADIO: Utah women's basketball has a new radio home this season. In an effort to provide more coverage and a stronger signal, the games have been moved to AM-700 KWLW, a 50,000-watt station in Salt Lake City. KWLW will carry 16 regular-season games and all postseason contests live. Additional WAC games, which would be broadcast tape-delayed, could be added later. Each broadcast will begin 15 minutes prior to tip-off with a pre-game show and conclude with the Elaine Elliott post-game show.
KWLW is operated by Jacor Broadcasting of Salt Lake City, Inc., which also owns 570 K-News and KALL-910 in the Salt Lake market. Jacor is in the first year of a four-year contract as the exclusive radio home of University of Utah sports. Anchoring the broadcast team is 570 K-News/KALL-910 AM Sports Director Brad Stone. He will do play-by-play for the home games with former Ute Reggie Wright-Jewkes providing color commentary. University of Utah Assistant Sports Information Director Mike Lageschulte will handle play-by-play for the road games for the third consecutive season.
ANOTHER BANNER RECRUITING CLASS: Utah signed three recruits during the early signing period. The Utes inked Carley Marshall, a 6-2 forward/center from Eugene, Ore.; Whitney Sutak, a 6-0 guard from Mill Valley, Calif.; and Sara Wobbe, a 5-9 point guard from Elmira, Ore.
Marshall averaged 16.5 points and 12.7 rebounds for Williamette High School last season. She was a Blue Chip Illustrated All-American in 1997-98, as well as a second-team all-conference and an academic all-conference selection.
Sutak, who can play the one through three positions, was a first-team all-conference selection in 1997-98 at Branson High School. She averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Wobbe comes to the U. from Marist High School, the same program that produced current Ute sophomore forward Kristina Andersen. Wobbe was a pre-season honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith heading into this season. She earned third-team all-state and first-team all-conference honors last season, averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 5.2 steals per game.
UTES HONOR FORMER ADMINISTRATOR LINDA EDGAR: Utah players are wearing an oval patch with the initials "L.E." stitched on the left thigh of their uniform shorts this season. The patch is worn in honor Linda Edgar, a long-time member of the University of Utah administrative staff and Coordinator of Financial Aid/Eligibility, who passed away after a long battle with cancer last summer.
WAC TOURNAMENT: For the third-straight year, the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV will serve as the site of the WAC Women's and Men's Basketball Tournaments. The women's tournament will be held March 1-6 and will involve 12 of the 16 WAC teams. The top two teams from each division will receive a first-round bye, while the remaining eight teams will play first-round games on March 1. The four first-round contests will feature Pacific Division #3 vs. Mountain Division #6 at 12:00; Mountain Division #4 vs. Pacific Division #5 at 2:30; Pacific Division #4 vs. Mountain Division #5 at 6:00; and Mountain Division #3 vs. Pacific Division #6 at 8:30. The women's quarterfinals will take place on March 3 with the same game times as the first round. The semifinals are slated for March 5 with the games at noon and 2:30 p.m. and the championship game is March 7 at 2:30 p.m.
NEW CONFERENCE IN 1999-2000: The Utah women's basketball program will usher in the new millennium in a new conference. On May 26, 1998, eight schools (including Utah) announced their intentions to withdraw from the Western Athletic Conference to form a new conference. The new Mountain West Conference-half of whose schools were charter members of the WAC when it started back in 1962-will consist of Utah, Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State and Wyoming. It will seek immediate certification from the NCAA and will start operation as a conference in June of 1999. Craig Thompson has been named the commissioner and began his duties in January. The conference offices are located in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Sunday, March 01