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
Utah Women's Basketball Notes
1/16/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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COMING UP:
The University of Utah women's basketball team (10-3) opens Mountain West Conference play with a 7 p.m. game this Thursday, Jan. 16, against Wyoming (10-3), in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. With a career record of 399-167 (.705), Utah Head Coach Elaine Elliott is just one win away from 400. Elliott, in her 20th season at Utah, has averaged just over 20 wins a year.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
Utah netted a 15-point win over Northern Arizona last Saturday, despite the fact that the Utes were out-shot 40.5 percent to 37.5 percent. The tenacious Utah defense forced 24 Lumberjack turnovers and out-rebounded Northern Arizona 37-22. Sophomore Shona Thorburn led a group of four Utes in double figures scoring with 17 points. She scored all three of Utah's treys on the game. Sophomore Kim Smith and juniors Mandie Little and Carley Marshall finished with 10 points apiece. Little and Marshall also grabbed eight rebounds each to lead Utah, while Smith added eight.
Last Thursday, Utah avenged an earlier season loss with a 77-36 blowout of Montana. The Utes shot 47 percent from the field on the game and held Montana to just 29 percent. Utah also pulled down almost twice as many rebounds (50-26) as the Lady Griz. During the last two games, the Utes have outscored their opponents 72-20 in the first half.
On the season, Utah is led by Smith, who averages 17.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Thorburn adds 15.2 points and a team-high 3.1 assists. As a team, the Utes boast an average scoring margin of 17.7 and have held 11 of 13 opponents under 60 points.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
The Cowgirls wrapped up non-conference play with a 74-65 victory over Montana State last Saturday in Laramie. Wyoming opened the game by scoring the first five points of the half, but Montana State answered with a couple of baskets to tie it up. Wyoming quickly regained the lead by going on a 12-6 run to open up a 17-11 advantage. The Bobcats battled back as they pulled within four, but a 6-0 run by the Cowgirls gave them a double-digit lead. A couple of baskets in the final minutes of the half pulled MSU closer, but Wyoming would still take a 38-32 lead into halftime. Montana State stormed out to start the second half scoring the first seven of ten points to close within one, 40-39. The Cowgirls responded with a 16-0 run, as the Bobcats went almost five minutes without a field goal. A 12-0 run pulled the Bobcats back into the game, but Wyoming maintained its composure and outscored the Bobcats 8-2 the remainder of the way to pull out the victory. Four Cowgirls finished in double-figures including senior Carrie Bacon, who finished the night with a team-leading 18 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. As a team, Wyoming was 24-55 (.436) from the field and 22-25 (.800) from the charity stripe.
On the season, three Cowgirls average double figures scoring, led by Bacon with 13.2. Ashley Elliott adds 12.3 and Ann McColl averages 11.5. Bacon also averages a team-high 6.5 rebounds.
SERIES SHORTS:
* Utah leads the all-time series with Wyoming 45-6 and have won 22 in a row. The Utes are 23-1 at home, 20-5 away and 2-0 at a neutral site vs. the Cowgirls. The last meeting between the two teams was Feb. 9, 2002, when Utah won 66-53.
MWC STANDINGS
W L Pct.
UTAH 10 3 .769
New Mexico 10 3 .769
Wyoming 10 3 .769
UNLV 9 4 .692
BYU 9 4 .692
Colorado State 9 5 .643
San Diego State 6 6 .500
Air Force 6 7 .462
MWC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
1 BYU (8) 110
2 Colorado State (7) 103
3 New Mexico (1) 91
4 UTAH 70
5 UNLV 69
6 Wyoming 49
7 San Diego State 31
8 Air Force 17
UTES ON THE RADIO
Utah's game against Wyoming will be broadcast live on KALL 910-AM. The game will be called by Brad Stone, Sports Director. In his 13th year with the station, Stone is also the host of the Ute men's basketball and football game broadcasts, as well as the "Redzone," an hour-long show devoted to Ute sports that airs from 1-2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
RANKING NATIONALLY
The Utes currently rank third nationally in scoring defense, 17th in scoring margin and 19th in average margin of victory.
MWC LEADERS:
As a team, the Utes lead the conference in five statistical categories: scoring defense (50.9), scoring margin (+17.7), rebounding defense (33.8), turnover margin (+5.3) and three-point field goal average (8.1). Utah ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (.374), field goal percentage defense (.367) and assist/turnover ratio (0.97), and third in scoring (68.6), rebounding margin (+3.3), rebounding offense (37.2), free throw percentage (.733) and steals (9.7).
Individually, freshman Kim Smith ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (.508), fourth in scoring (17.5), rebounding (7.1), three-point field goal average (2.5) and offensive rebounds (3.0), seventh in free throw percentage (.767), tied for seventh in steals (1.7), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.1), 11th in field goal percentage (.490) and tied for 13th in blocked shots (0.4).
Sophomore Shona Thorburn is third in both three-point field goal average (2.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.6), seventh in scoring (15.2), 11th in both assists (3.1) and three-point field goal percentage (.374) and 15th in rebounding (5.4).
Junior Carley Marshall ranks sixth in blocked shots (1.2), ninth in free throw percentage (.757), tied for ninth in field goal percentage (.500), tied for 10th in rebounding (5.6), 12th in defensive rebounds (3.9), 13th in offensive rebounds (1.8) and 17th in scoring (10.0).
Point guard Kelsy Stireman is fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9), tied for 10th in steals (1.6) and 12th in assists (3.0). Meanwhile, junior Mandie Little ranks sixth in offensive rebounds (2.9), ninth in rebounding (6.1) and tied for 13th in blocked shots (0.4).
Sophomore Lana Sitterud is tied for 10th in steals (1.6), and freshman Julie Wood is fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.450) and eighth in three-point field goal average (1.6).
QUOTING HEAD COACH ELAINE ELLIOTT:
On the use of a bigger lineup - "The bigger lineup is helping us on the glass, but the guards are stepping up to the challenge and grabbing some of their own, too."
On her team's 10-3 record at the end of the non-conference schedule - "We didn't know what we were going to have. We have played hard for these wins and I'm more than pleased."
UP NEXT:
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, Utah host Colorado State in the Huntsman Center.
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