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
1/7/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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COMING UP:
The University of Utah women's basketball team (8-3) hosts Montana (9-3) for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
Utah fell to Weber State 70-59 in Ogden on Saturday. It was just the Utes' fifth loss ever to the Wildcats and the first loss since 1994. Utah shot just under 36 percent on the game, while the Wildcats were 22-of-49 (45 percent) from the field, including 8-of-14 (57 percent) from behind the arc (7-of-8 in the second half). The Utes forced 15 Weber State turnovers, but were out-rebounded 39-32 on the game. Freshman Kim Smith finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals to lead Utah. She was the only Ute to finish in double figures scoring. Junior Mandie Little pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
On the season, the Utes are led by Smith, who averages 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Sophomore Shona Thorburn adds 15.4 points and junior point guard Kelsy Stireman leads the team with 3.1 and 1.8 assists and steals averages, respectively.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
Montana - The Lady Griz (9-3) are coming off a 73-68 win over Gonzaga Sunday afternoon. Freshman Katie Edwards came off the bench to lead Montana with 15 points on five three-point baskets. Edwards was 5-for-7 from the field, including 5-for-5 from three-point range as she matched her career high for points and established a career mark for three-pointers. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
With Gonzaga concentrating on stopping Montana's inside tandem of Crystal Baird and Hollie Tyler, the Lady Griz received solid outings from Edwards, Jill Henkel, Brooklynn Lorenzen and Jody McLeod. Baird and Tyler still combined for 28 points, but they were a combined 7-for-26 shooting. Their supporting cast made up the difference. Henkel scored 11 points and had three steals, Lorenzen matched her career high with nine points to go along with four assists and two steals, and McLeod turned in a workmanlike nine points and eight rebounds.
On the season, the Lady Griz are led by Tyler, who averages 16.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Lorenzen dishes out an average of 5.7 assists per game. As a team, Montana is out-shooting (.392-.386), out-rebounding (40.9-36.6) and out-scoring (64.0-60.3) its opponents.
SERIES SHORTS:
* Utah trails the series with Montana 7-11. In their last meeting on Dec. 29 of last year, the Utes fell 53-49 in Missoula. Utah is 5-3 at home, 2-7 away and 0-1 at a neutral site vs. the Lady Griz.
MWC LEADERS:
As a team, the Utes lead the conference in five statistical categories: scoring defense (53.1), scoring margin (+16.0), three-point field goal percentage (.386), turnover margin (+6.0) and three-point field goal average (8.64). Utah ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.371) and third in scoring (69.1), free throw percentage (.734), rebounding margin (+0.4), steals (9.82) and assist/turnover ratio (1.01).
Individually, freshman Kim Smith ranks second in scoring (18.3) and three-point field goal percentage (.508), fourth in three-point field goal average (2.7), seventh in field goal percentage (.489) and offensive rebounds (2.7), tied for seventh in steals (1.6), eighth in rebounding (6.4), 12th in free throw percentage (.750) and 15th in defensive rebounds (3.6).
Sophomore Shona Thorburn ranks third in three-point field goal average (2.8), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.8), seventh in scoring (15.4), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.397), tied for 11th in steals (1.6), 13th in assists (2.8), and 14th in both rebounding (5.4) and free throw percentage (.733).
Junior Carley Marshall ranks fourth in blocked shots (1.3), seventh in free throw percentage (.828), eighth in field goal percentage (.475), 12th in offensive rebounds (1.9), 17th in rebounding (5.2) and 18th in scoring (9.3).
Point guard Kelsy Stireman ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.00), fifth in steals (1.2) and 11th in assists (3.1). Meanwhile, junior Mandie Little ranks eighth in offensive rebounds (2.6), ninth in rebounding (5.9) and tied for 13th in blocked shots (0.45).
Sophomore Lana Sitterud is tied for 11th in steals (1.6), and freshman Julie Wood is third in three-point field goal percentage (.469) and eighth in three-point field goal average (1.5).
MWC STANDINGS
W L Pct.
New Mexico 9 3 .750
UTAH 8 3 .727
Wyoming 8 3 .727
Colorado State 8 4 .667
BYU 8 4 .667
UNLV 7 4 .636
San Diego State 5 5 .500
Air Force 5 6 .455
UTES ON THE RADIO
Utah's game against Montana 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.
ELLIOTT APPROACHING 400TH WIN:
With a career record of 397-166 (.705), Utah Head Coach Elaine Elliott is just three wins away from 400. The earliest she could achieve this feat is Thursday, Jan. 16, when the Utes host Wyoming at 7 p.m to start conference play. Elliott, in her 20th season at Utah, has averaged just over 20 wins a year.
IN THE POLLS:
For the second week in a row, the Utes received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Utah received two points, good for 53rd place nationally. Fellow Mountain West Conference schools Colorado State (31st) and Brigham Young (42nd) also received votes. Montana, which the Utes face on Thursday, received one point, good for 56th place.
RANKING NATIONALLY:
As a team, the Utes currently rank 11th nationally in scoring defense and 23rd in scoring margin.
UP NEXT:
The Utes host Northern Arizona at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 11.
Utah: 66, Cincinnati: 73 | Big 12 Tournament | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, March 11
Utah: 75, Baylor: 101 | Utah Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 08
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Wednesday, March 04
Utah: 81, Colorado: 67 | Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 01