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 Opens Season On The Road
11/14/2000 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2000
Salt Lake City - COMING UP: The Utes open their regular-season schedule on the road at UCLA on Fri., Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (PST). On Sun., Nov. 19, Utah will face Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: Utah won both exhibition games, helping prepare for a grueling road-trip to UCLA and Iowa this week. Utah defeated the NWBL, 81-41 at home on Sat., Nov. 11 and Manukau Auckland (New Zealand), 78-42, on Thurs., Nov. 2.
For the first-time in school history, Utah begins a season as the defending regular-season and conference tournament champions. The Utes return four starters and 11 letterwinners from a team which posted an 11-3 league record and a 23-8 overall mark. Utah, which led the nation in scoring defense and made its 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament a year ago, has won or shared a conference title each of the past five years.
Possible starters for the Utes in the match-up against UCLA and Iowa are: Sarah Wobbe (So., G) or Whitney Sutak (So., G), Kristina Andersen (Sr., F), Amy Ewert (Sr., F/G), Lindsay Herbert (Jr., G/F) or Lori Red-Castagnetto (Sr., F) and Lauren Beckman (Jr., F/C). Utah's 1999-2000 final RPI ranking, produced by the Jeff Sagrin Women's College Basketball Ratings, was 44th out of 316 teams. The Mountain West Conference was 9th out of 32 conferences.
SCOUTING UCLA: The UCLA women's basketball team opened its 2000-01 season last weekend posting two losses on the road. The Bruins lost to Duke, 80-52, on Fri., Nov. 10 and lost to New Mexico, 75-54 on Sat., Nov. 11 in Albuquerque, N.M. Last year, UCLA finished fourth in the Pac 10 Conference with a 18-11 overall record, 12-6 in Pac 10 play.
Leading the Bruins is junior Michelle Greco. She currently averages 25.0 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game. Greco is 18-of-38 from the field, 7-of-19 from 3-point range and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Teammate Shalanda Allen is 40 percent (4-of-10) from the field, totaling 6.0 points per game and 3.5 boards per game. Natalie Jarrett leads the team averaging 7.0 rebounds per game and averages 4.5 points per game. As a team, UCLA is shooting only 30 percent (37-of-125) from the field, 31 percent (9-of-29) from behind the arc and 56 percent (23-of-41) from the free-throw line. The Bruins are currently averaging 53.0 points per game and 33.0 rebounds per game.
Kathy Olivier was named head coach of the Bruins on May 3, 1993 and last season became just the second coach at UCLA and the 11th in Pac 10 history to reach the century mark in career coaching victories after a decision over San Diego State in Pauley Pavilion (12/9/99). The former standout player at Cal State Fullerton and UNLV has posted a record of 115-85 in her seven seasons to date. Recognized as an excellent recruiter, she has steadily built the program to reflect her own positive, upbeat and outgoing personality. Last season, she became the first coach in school history to lead a team to three straight NCAA tournament appearances.
SCOUTING IOWA: The University of Iowa women's basketball team opens its 2000-01 season this weekend when the Hawkeyes host the Marquette Golden Eagles Friday, Nov., 17, at 8:00 p.m. Last year, Iowa finished seventh in the Big Ten Conference with a 9-18 overall record, 6-10 in Big Ten play.
The Hawkeyes defeated the Mexican National Team, 86-83 in an exhibition game Wednesday, November 8 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The victory was Iowa's first win over an exhibition opponent in four years. Four Hawkeyes tallied double digits, freshman Jennie Lillis poured in 24 points, junior Lindsey Meder added 17 and senior Cara Consuegra and junior Leah Magner both recorded 14 points en route to the win. The Hawkeyes looked to have an easy go of it midway through the first half, with Iowa leading Mexico by 17 points with 7:51 left in the half. However, after a media timeout, Mexico went on a 10-0 run to trim Iowa's lead to seven. Iowa held a slim 42-37 lead at halftime and then built its lead to 14 points with 15:02 left in the game. Mexico wouldn't quit, cashing in on hot hitting and eventually grabbing its largest lead of six with 5:07 left. Iowa withstood Mexico's charge thanks to senior Cara Consuegra, who scored the next three baskets to tie the game at 77 with 3:31 remaining. Timely free throw shooting and a key three-point bucket by junior Leah Magner propelled Iowa to an 86-83 win.
Head Coach Lisa Bluder, along with assistants Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald, comes over to Iowa City from Des Moines after coaching at Drake for several years. Bluder coached the Bulldogs for ten years, while Jensen and Fitzgerald were Bluder's assistants for eight. Former University of Iowa men's basketball player Michael Morgan also joins the staff as an assistant, while former University of North Carolina women's basketball player Laquanda Dawkins will serve as the Administrative Assistant.
SERIES SHORTS: The series with Utah and UCLA is tied at 1-1. In their last meeting, UCLA defeated the Utes, 89-83 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 28, 1990. Utah is 1-0 at home, 0-1 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. the Bruins. Utah leads the series with Iowa, 2-1. In their last meeting, Utah defeated the Hawkeyes, 77-73 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Dec. 2, 1999. Utah is 2-0 at home, 0-1 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. Iowa.
QUOTING ELLIOTT: On the upcoming UCLA and Iowa games: "This is going to be a very difficult season opening road-trip. Playing on the road is tough enough, but opening your season at two well-respected women's basketball powerhouses is going to be a difficult task. The geography of this road-trip is due to some late-season scheduling and we were forced to pick up another game. I feel bad that our team is in that situation. We'll ask our kids to be big enough players and individuals so we can overcome things that aren't always in our favor. That's not a bad lesson to learn early in the season either. We are going to rely on our experience, and build on our intensity to play each and every game with enthusiasm and excitement."
UP NEXT: The Utes are back at home for the next seven games, opening up with Montana Tech on Wed., Nov. 22, at 7:00 p.m. (MST). On Sat., Nov. 25, Utah will take on the Weber State Wildcats at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 3:00 p.m. (MST). The Utes will host Pacific on Wed., Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m. On Sat., Dec. 2, Utah will host Boise State at 3:00 p.m. (MST). The Utes will take on Montana on Thurs., Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah will play Nevada at home on Sat., Dec. 9 at 3:00 p.m. (MST).
NWBL ELITE GAME RECAP: The University of Utah women's basketball team rolled in their final exhibition with a 81-41 win over the National Women's Basketball League at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Sat., Nov. 11.
Senior Amy Ewert led the Utes with 17 points and five rebounds. Ewert shot 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Junior Lindsay Herbert totaled 13 points, while teammate Lori Red-Castagnetto added 10 points. Herbert went 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Red-Castagnetto was 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. Katherine McColl led the Utes on the boards with eight. Erin Gibbons added six assists in the game. As a team, Utah shot 54 percent from the field (29-of-54), 40 percent from behind the arc (8-of-20) and 68 percent (15-of-22) from the free-throw line. Utah out-rebounded the NWBL 45 to 28, adding five blocks and 11 steals in the game.
For the NWBL, Andreia Hinton totaled 15 points and six rebounds, making 5-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Evevetta Crawford-Herring added 13 points and six boards. Crawford-Herring made 5-of-22 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. The Elite shot just 23 percent from the field (12-of-53), 33 percent from behind the arc (2-of-6) and 79 percent from the free-throw line (15-of-19).
"This game was a step closer," said Head Coach Elaine Elliott. "It was better than the first one. We did a better job of playing different combinations and I thought the kids did a better job in most aspects. We do have a lot to work on, but everybody does. I think we have a chance to be a better team and we have to keep working towards that. I certainly feel good about the potential we have," said Elliott.
MANUKAU AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND) GAME RECAP: The University of Utah women's basketball team rolled in an exhibition win over Manukau Auckland, 78-42 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Thurs., Nov. 2. Utah will host its last exhibition game on Sat., Nov. 11 against the NWBL at 3:30 p.m. (MST). The Utes open their season on the road at UCLA on Fri., Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (PST).
Juniors Lauren Beckman and Lindsay Herbert led the Utes with 12 points each. Beckman shot 5-of-9 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds, while Herbert shot 4-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from the 3-point line and had nine rebounds. Sophomore Sarah Wobbe added 10 points, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and two steals. Freshman Caroline Matthews led Utah with 10 boards and totaled seven points. All 14 Utes saw action, with all but one player posting points in the game. As a team, Utah shot 40 percent from the field (27-of-67), 24 percent from behind the arc (5-of-21) and 58 percent (19-of-33) from the free-throw line.
For Manuaku Auckland, Marcia Noon racked up 20 points, making 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Teammate Antonia Solomon added 10 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the free-throw line and 2-of-13 from the field. Manuaku Auckland totaled 26 turnovers in the game and managed a .210 shooting percentage (13-of-62) from the field. The New Zealand shot 29 percent from behind the arc (4-of-14) and 67 percent from the free-throw line (12-of-18).
"This game was a start in terms of evaluating ourselves," said Head Coach Elaine Elliott. "We're going to get the film broken down and work on some things. We have a lot of work to do at the point guard position. I'm not concerned with our shooting, I think we were just a bit nervous. I'm more concerned with continuing to learn how to play with each other rather than hitting an open shot. We didn't have to do much to get an open look, and we had to show some patience in order to get into our system. This game was a reward for all the kids who practiced hard and I wanted to give everyone a chance to play," said Elliott.
HEAD COACH ELAINE ELLIOTT: The winningest coach in school history, Elaine Elliott has kept the winning tradition alive since earning the head coaching position in 1983-84. She has posted a 346-148 (.700) career record in 17 seasons. In the last 10 years alone, Elliott has guided the Utes to eight 20-win seasons, five 1st-place, three 2nd-place and two third-place finishes in conference play. Overall, Elliott has led the Utes to twelve 20-win seasons and three 19-win seasons, averaging 20 wins per season. Elliott was named the 1999-2000 IKON/WBCA Division I District 7 Coach of the Year and the 1999-2000 inaugural Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
UTES ON THE RADIO/TV: Utah women's basketball is back on KALL 910-AM this season. KALL will carry 26 regular-season games and all postseason contests live. Clear Channel is in the third year of a four-year contract as the exclusive radio home of University of Utah sports.
Anchoring the broadcast team is KALL-910 AM Sports Director Brad Stone. Stone will broadcast the women's home games, while Kent Rupe will call the road games
As part of its agreement with the University of Utah, KJZZ-TV is scheduled to televise the Utah-BYU game on Feb. 26 live from the Huntsman Center. KJZZ is also tentatively scheduled to televise one of the Utes' games in the MWC Tournament.
Veteran sportscaster Steve Brown will call the Ute women's basketball games on KJZZ.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Utes practice from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. in the Jon M. Hunstman Center on the University of Utah campus. All practice times and dates are tentative and subject to change. For regular scheduled practice times, please contact Julie Lapomarda. Utah Women's Basketball practices are closed to the media. To set up interviews before or after practice with Head Coach Elaine Elliott or Ute players, please contact Julie Lapomarda women's basketball SID at: (801) 581-3771 (office), or at (801) 468-0571 (home).
POST-GAME SERVICES/INTERVIEWS: Head Coach Elaine Elliott and Utah players will be available for interviews outside the Utah lockerroom following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Utah sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the match. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
WEEKLY INTERVIEWS: Members of the media who wish to interview Head Coach Elaine Elliott should contact her at her office (801-581-7037) between 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. weekdays. Interviews with the athletes should be arranged through Julie Lapomarda (801-581-3771).
THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE: The newest conference in the nation has quickly emerged as one of the best. The Mountain West Conference, which officially commenced operation on July 1, 1999, sent two basketball teams to NCAA post-season play and one team to the WNIT in its first year. League champion Utah and runner-up BYU made it to the NCAA First Round, while Colorado State made it to the WNIT Semifinals.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION: Ron Christian, Assistant Director of Communications, handles all information requests related to women's basketball at the Mountain West Conference office. The MWC address is P.O. Box 35760, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3567. The MWC telephone number is (719) 533-9500. The fax number is (719) 533-9512.
FACTS AND FIGURES: With a 23-8 overall record, Utah posted its sixth consecutive, and 18th overall, 20-win season. The Utes' .742 overall winning percentage equaled the tenth-best in school history. Utah equaled the eleventh-best conference winning percentage in school history last season (11-3, .786). Utah finished first in the MWC, marking its 26th consecutive upper-division finish in conference play. The 1999-2000 season marks the first-ever Utah women's basketball team to win both the regular-season title and the conference tournament championship. Utah won the regular-season title with an impressive 92-42 win at home over Air Force. The Utes ended their conference schedule with an 11-3 mark. Utah claimed the first-ever McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Tournament with a 61-47 win over BYU, in Las Vegas, Nev.
1999-2000 ACCOLADES: Regular-season and tournament champion Utah placed the most individuals on the all-conference list with three second-team selections in junior Lauren Beckman and seniors Kristina Andersen and Amy Ewert. After leading Utah to the inaugural regular-season title and its sixth consecutive 20-win season, Elaine Elliott was named 2000 Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. Tiana Fuertes was selected as the Mountain West Conference Tournament MVP and teammate Kristina Andersen was selected to the MWC All-Tourney team. Andersen, Beckman, Ewert, Caroline Matthews, Lori Red-Castagnetto, Lindsay Sodja-Boudreau and Janna Whitman earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference recognition. Andersen and Beckman were also named Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athletes in 1999-2000.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING: Utah led the nation in scoring defense in 1999-2000, holding their opponents to an average of 52.2 points per game. Utah was fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.8%) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.1%). The Utes were 19th in scoring margin (13.0 margin) and 24th in 3-point field goals made per game (6.5 per game). Erin Gibbons was seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage and Lauren Beckman was 26th in the nation in blocked shots (2.0 bpg).
UTES AND THE NCAAS: Utah made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1999-00, and stand 1-10 in NCAA Tournament play. The Utes, seeded No. 11 in the Midwest Region, lost to Illinois, 73-58 in the first round at Ames, Iowa.
THE FANS: In 13 games at home, the Utes brought in 10,484 fans in 1999-00, an average of 806 fans per game. The Mountain West Conference as a whole ranks in 6th in the nation in attendance. In 115 total games or sessions, the MWC has brought in 257,276 fans.
UTAH CAREER-LIST: Tiana Fuertes ended her career on Utah's all-time career leaders list in 3-point field goals, 3-point field goal attempts, 3-point field goal percentage, assists and assists average.
1999-2000 INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM NOTES: Junior center Lauren Beckman led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 10.7 points per game (19th in MWC) and 6.7 rebounds per game (5th in MWC). Beckman was second in the Mountain West Conference in blocked shots (2.03) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.779) and field goal percentage (.500). Senior forward Kristina Andersen was the team's second leading scorer and rebounder (9.9 ppg, 22nd in MWC, 5.0 rpg, 16th in MWC). Andersen was fifth in the MWC in 3-point field goal percentage (.411), eighth in field goal percentage (.486) 11th in blocked shots (0.63) and 14th in 3-point field goals made (1.23). Senior Amy Ewert, who averaged 8.2 points and 3.8 boards per game, ranked sixth in the league in blocked shots (0.80). Ewert was 10th in steals (1.80), 12th in assists (2.77) and 14th in field goal percentage (.449). Senior forward Lori Red-Castagnetto was eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.386) and was fourth on the team in scoring (7.0 ppg). Coming off the bench for the Utes, junior Erin Gibbons was third nationally (first in MWC) in 3-point field goal percentage (.480) and ninth in the MWC in 3-point field goals made (1.57/game).
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