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The University of Utah Athletics
Women's Basketball To Host Montana And Nevada This Week
12/5/2000 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2000
Salt Lake City - COMING UP: The Utes (6-0) are back at home for the next three games and will take on Montana (4-1) on Thurs., Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah will play Nevada (3-2) on Sat., Dec. 9 at 3:00 p.m. (MST). They end the homestand on Dec. 16 vs. No. 12 ranked Oregon.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: The University of Utah women's basketball team continued its seven game homestand with two impressive wins over the weekend. The Utes defeated the Boise State Broncos, 73-54 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Sat., Dec. 2, and shut-down the University of the Pacific, 82-63, on Wed., Nov. 29.
Utah is still undefeated and boasts a 6-0 record overall, with its conference schedule beginning at home vs. Colorado State on Thurs., Jan. 18. The 6-0 start is the second best since the 1997-98 season when the Utes opened its schedule with a 16 game win-streak.
The University of Utah women's basketball team continues to get votes in the Top 25 USA Today/ESPN poll. The Utes received 17 votes in the Dec. 4th poll.
SERIES SHORTS: Montana leads the series with Utah , 10-5. In their last meeting on Nov. 28, 1999, the Lady Griz defeated the Utes, 64-56 in Missoula, Mont. Utah is 4-3 at home, 1-6 away and 0-1 at a neutral site vs. Montana. Utah leads the series with Nevada, 2-0. In their last meeting on Dec. 31, 1987, the Utes defeated the Wolf Pack, 59-49 in Reno, Nev. Utah is 1-0 at home, 1-0 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. Nevada.
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore guard Sarah Wobbe injured her left knee trying to catch a pass, as she got tangled with a Hawkeye defender in the Iowa game on Sun., Nov. 19. After undergoing an MRI on Nov. 27, it has been determined that Wobbe will be out for the rest of the season. She will undergo ligament reconstruction surgery between Christmas and New Year's.
QUOTING ELLIOTT: On the upcoming Montana and Nevada games: "We're pleased with our start, but we've got our toughest games ahead of us. The schedule continues to get difficult and we will be tested. We have to continue to improve to be successful the rest of the way as well."
UP NEXT: The Utes take on the Oregon Ducks on Sat., Dec. 16 at 3:00 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. On Mon., Dec. 18, Utah hits the road, facing the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore. at 7:05 p.m. (PST). The Utes are back at home on Thurs., Dec. 28, matching up with Southern Methodist at 7:00 p.m. Utah travels to Stanford, Calif. on Sat., Dec. 30, taking on the Stanford Cardinal at 2:00 p.m. (PST). After the first of the year, Utah is back at home, facing Loyola Marymount on Tues., Jan. 2, at 7:00 p.m. On Sun., Jan. 7, Utah opens MWC play in Albuquerque, N.M. (MST). The Utes will match-up with the Lobos at 12:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2. Utah will travel to Las Vegas, Nev. facing the UNLV Rebels on Thurs., Jan. 11 at 7:35 p.m. (PST). On Sat., Jan. 13, the Utes will meet San Diego State at 7:00 p.m. (PST) in San Diego, Calif.
BOISE STATE GAME RECAP: Kristina Andersen lit up Boise State for 16 points and the University of Utah women's basketball team rolled to its sixth win in as many games. Andersen was nearly perfect herself, making eight of her nine field goal attempts in Utah's 73-54 win over the Broncos on Sat., Dec. 2.
Utah (6-0) led by just nine at the half but shot a torrid 60 percent field goal shooting in the second stanza to double its margin. "Once again, we missed some easy shots early in the game and then seemed to loosen up and get things done in the second half," explained Head Coach Elaine Elliott. "We're still playing a lot of kids (12 vs. Boise State) and I think my substitution patterns disrupt things to a certain extent. We'll tighten up the rotation soon."
Also scoring in double figures for the Utes were Amy Ewert (13 points) and Kelsy Stireman (10 points). Stireman, who poured in 28 points in Utah's win over Pacific on Wednesday, was hot again this game, making five of six shots from the field. Ewert led Utah with five steals and Stireman dished off five assists.
Boise State (1-4) was led by Andrea Swindall, who scored 17 points.
PACIFIC GAME RECAP: Freshman point guard Kelsy Stireman heated up for a career-best 28 points to lead the University of Utah women's basketball team to an 82-63 win over Pacific, Wed., Nov. 29 in the Huntsman Center. Stireman's shooting clinic was the best by a Ute freshman since Julie Krommenhoek poured in 34 points as a freshman back in the 1994-95 season.
"The thing I loved the most about Kelsy," said Ute head coach Elaine Elliott, "Was the intensity she brought to the court. When they really pushed us, we needed a more competitive response and Kelsy gave us that."
Utah, which improved to 5-0 with the win, needed all of Stireman's 15 first half points to keep UOP (2-3) from pulling away early. The Utes misfired on 11 of their first 12 field goal attempts, including eight layups that rolled in and out. But the rookie point guard from Ogden, Utah (Bonneville HS) , who finished the night shooting 11 of 15 from the field, spearheaded a run that saw Utah hit 10 of its next 18 shots.
Utah trailed 10-3 in the opening minutes before settling in and eventually tying the game at 10-10 on a 3-point field goal by Stireman. The Utes never trailed again. Senior Kristina Andersen added 19 points and nine rebounds for Utah and Amy Ewert dished off a career-high eight assists. Lauren Beckman chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
UTE FACTS: 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.
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 MONTANA: Montana comes into this week's match-up with Utah posting a 4-1 overall record. The Lady Griz split games with Idaho and the University of Portland last week. On Thurs., Nov. 30, Montana lost 73-68, on the road to Idaho and on Sun., Dec. 3, the Lady Griz shut-down the University of Portland, 74-55 at home.
Montana shows three-out-of-the-five starters and one off-the-bench averaging double-figures in scoring. Senior Lauren Cooper leads the Lady Griz, averaging 13.4 points per game, 2.6 assists per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Cooper is 42 percent (25-60) from the field, 44 percent (11-25) from behind the arc and a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. Forward Linda Cummings totals 11.2 points per game, and leads Montana with 8.2 boards per game. Cummings is 37 percent (19-51) from the field and 75 percent (18-24) from the free-throw line. She averages 2.6 assists per game. Teammate Simarron Schildt posts 11.0 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Schildt shoots 51 percent from the field (21-41), 50 percent (9-18) from the 3-point line and 40 percent (4-10) from the free-throw line. Junior Cheryl Keller tallies 10.0 points per game, 2.8 steals per game and 3.2 boards per game. Keller is 46 percent (16-35) from the field, 55 percent (6-11) from three-point land and 67 percent (2-3) from the free-throw line. As a team, the Lady Griz averages 71.4 points per game and 40.0 rebound per game. Montana is 46 percent (137-299) from the field, 40 percent (31-78) from the three-point line and 57 percent (52-92) from the free-throw line. The Lady Griz are currently 3-0 at home and 1-1 on the road.
Head Coach Robin Selvig is in his 23rd season with the Lady Griz, tallying a record of 515-139. Throughout his tenure at Montana, Selvig has become the winningest head women's basketball coach, and one of only 15 active coaches with 500-or-more wins. He has made Lady Griz basketball one of the nation's top teams with 16 post-season appearances in the past 18 seasons.
Selvig's team recorded another 20-win season (19th overall) in 1999-2000, a Big Sky Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
A 1974 graduate of Montana , Selvig was an all-conference selection his senior year, leading the Grizzlies to a 19-8 record. He was awarded the John Eaheart Award, given annually to Montana's outstanding defensive player. That emphasis on defense has been a staple of Selvig's legacy and is now a trademark of his teams.
SCOUTING NEVADA: Nevada will play at Idaho State on Thursday before they meet the Utes, and as of Dec. 4, the Wolf Pack comes into the match-up with Utah with a 3-2 overall record. The Wolf Pack defeated UC Riverside 93-66, at home on Sun., Dec. 3.
Nevada shows two-out-of-the-five starters and one off-the-bench averaging double-figures in scoring. Sophomore Kate Smith leads the Wolf Pack, averaging 17.8 points per game, 2.0 assists per game and 7.0 rebounds per game. Smith is 54 percent (32-59) from the field, 40 percent (2-5) from behind the arc and 72 percent (23-32) from the free-throw line. Senior guard Jessica Larsen totals 11.2 points per game and 2.8 boards per game. Larsen is 46 percent (22-48) from the field, 25 percent (4-16) from the 3-point line and 89 percent (8-9) from the free-throw line. She averages 2.0 assists per game. Teammate Ashlee Orndorff posts 11.0 points per game and leads Nevada with 8.5 rebounds per game. Orndorff shoots 37 percent from the field (13-35) and 90 percent (17-19) from the free-throw line. As a team, the Wolf Pack averages 72.2 points per game and 41.0 rebound per game. Nevada is 43 percent (128-300) from the field, 31 percent (28-91) from the three-point line and 77 percent (77-100) from the free-throw line. The Wolf Pack are currently 1-0 at home, 1-1 on the road and 1-1 at a neutral site this season.
Head Coach Ada Gee is in her eighth season with the Wolf Pack, tallying a record of 82-110. Throughout her tenure at Nevada, Gee has become the winningest head women's basketball coach, and the first one to reach the 80-win plateau. Gee has been in control of the women's basketball program longer than any one before her. She has guided the team to six Big West Conference Tournaments and two Eastern Division Titles, the most recent occurring last season when the team posted a 19-10 overall and 8-6 Big West record.
A 1993 graduate of Colorado College , Gee was also a three time all-conference selection and District VII Kodak All-American in basketball. Gee became a volunteer assistant at her alma matter and then moved on to Ball State where she served as an assistant coach for two years. Gee then accepted a full-time position as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, holding that position until 1990 when she moved to Vanderbilt University. She joined Nevada in 1993.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Utah, as a team is first in eight Mountain West Conference statistical categories. The Utes are second in two categories, third in four categories, fourth in three categories, fifth in two categories and sixth in one category. Many Utes rank among the MWC statistical leaders in the individual categories.
UTES IN THE POLLS: The University of Utah women's basketball team continues to get votes in the Top 25 USA Today/ESPN poll. The Utes received 17 votes in the Dec. 4th poll.
Utah will face No. 12 ranked Oregon on Sat., Dec. 16 at home, and will match-up with No. 23 ranked Stanford on Sat., Dec. 30 on the road.
Utah is one of three MWC teams to receive votes in the poll. Other MWC teams receiving votes are: Colorado State (16 votes) and BYU (4 votes).
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 352-148 (.704) 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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